IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


k 


A 


^ 


1.0 


1.1 


Hi 

lit 


lAO 


IL25  HI  1.4 


12.0 


1.6 


Hiotographic 

,,Sdences 

Corporalion 


as  WIST  MAIN  STRE'iT 

WnSlli:,N      '45*0 

(716)872-4303 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIMIVI/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  ly/licroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Tachnical  and  Bibliographic  Notaa/Notaa  tachniquaa  at  bibliographiquaa 


Tha  Inatituta  haa  anamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availab(a  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographieaily  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction.  or  which  may  significantly  changa 
tha  uauai  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


□   Colourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


r~n   Covara  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagAa 


n   Covara  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataurte  at/ou  palliculAa 

□   Covar  titia  miaaing/ 
La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

□   Colourad  mapa/ 
Cartaa  giographiquaa  it  coulaur 

□    Colourad  Inic  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 

I — I   Colourad  plataa  and/or  illuatrationa/ 


D 
D 


D 


Planchaa  at/ou  illuatrationa  it  coulaur 

Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
Rail*  avac  d'autraa  documanta 

Tight  binding  may  cauaa  thadowa  or  diatortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

Laraliura  sarria  paut  cauaar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
diatoraion  la  kxig  do  la  marga  intiriaura 

Blank  laavaa  addad  during  rastoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  poaaibla.  thasa 
hava  baan  omittad  from  filming/ 
II  sa  paut  qua  cartainac  pagaa  blanchaa  ajoutiaa 
lors  d'una  raatauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  taxta, 
mala,  loraqua  cala  itait  poaaibla.  eaa  pagaa  n'ont 
paa  AtA  filmAaa. 

Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantairaa  supplAmantairaa: 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm*  la  maillaur  axamplaira 
qu'il  lul  a  ttt  poaaibla  da  sa  procurer.  Las  details 
da  cat  axamplaira  qui  sont  paut-4tra  uniquaa  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographiqua,  qui  pauvant  modifier 
una  imaga  raproduita.  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dana  la  mAthoda  normala  da  fiimaga 
sont  indiquAa  d-daaaoua. 


r~n  Colourad  pagaa/ 


n 


Thia  itam  is  filmed  at  tha  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  eat  film*  au  taux  da  rMuction  indiqui  ci*deaaoua. 


Pagaa  da  coulaur 

Pagaa  damaged/ 
Pagaa  «?^tdommagia8 

Pagaa  raatorad  and/oi 

Pages  reatauriaa  at/ou  palliculAes 

Pagaa  discoloured,  stained  or  foxei 
Pagaa  dicolories,  tacheties  ou  piquies 

Pagaa  detached/ 
Pagaa  ditachias 

Showthrough/ 
Tranaparance 

Quality  of  prir 

Quallt*  inigala  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  matarii 
Comprend  du  matirial  suppl4mentaira 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 


r~~|  Pagaa  damaged/ 

|~n  Pagaa  raatorad  and/or  laminated/ 

r~p\  Pagaa  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

nn  Pagaa  detached/ 

r^  Showthrough/ 

|~n  Quality  of  print  variaa/ 

|~n  Includaa  supplementary  material/ 

r~|  Only  edition  available/ 


Tha 
tot 


Thi 
pos 
oil 
fiinr 


Orii 
bag 
tha 
aioi 
oth 
firs 
aioi 
ori 


Th« 
aha 
TiW 
wh 

Ma 
difl 
ant 
be( 
rigl 
req 
me 


Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc..  hava  been  refilmed  to 
enaure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Lea  pages  totaiement  ou  partiellement 
obacurcias  par  un  fauillet  d'errata.  una  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  iti  filmies  *  nouveau  de  fapon  A 
obtanir  la  mailleure  image  possible. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

28X 

30X 

1 

i 

y 

• 

t 

i 

12X 

HX 

aox 

24X 

28X 

32X 

^T" 


TiM  copy  fllm«d  h«r«  has  b««n  r«produe«d  thanks 
to  ths  ganarosity  of: 

Douglas  Library 
Quaan's  Univarsity 


L'axamplaira  film*  fut  raproduit  grica  i  ia 
gA;.Aroaiti  da: 

Dougias  Library 
Quaan's  Univarsity 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibllity 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacif ications. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  fikmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  iliuatratad  impras> 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  iliuatratad  impraa* 
sion.  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  Imprassion. 


Laa  imagas  suhrantas  ont  At*  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soln,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattat*  da  I'axamplalra  film*,  at  an 
conformM  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
fiimaga. 

Laa  axampialras  orlginaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papiar  aat  imprim4a  sont  fiimAs  ti  commandant 
par  la  pramiar  pla.  at  an  tarminant  salt  par  la 
darnlAra  paga  qi  J  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'Impraaaion  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  sacond 
plat,  aalon  la  caa.  Tous  las  autras  axampialras 
orlginaux  sont  filmfe  an  commandant  par  la 
pramlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraaslon  ou  d'illustration  at  an  tarminant  par 
ia  darnlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  talla 
amprainta. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  — ^  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  ▼  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  applias. 


Un  das  symboias  suivants  apparaltra  sur  ia 
darnlAra  Imaga  da  chaqua  microficha.  salon  la 
cas:  la  symbols  -^>  signifia  "A  SUiVRE",  la 
symbols  ▼  signifia  "FIN". 


Maps,  piatas,  charts,  stc,  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  raductlon  ratios.  Thosa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  included  in  ona  axposura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  laft  hand  cornar,  laft  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  aa  many  framas  as 
raquirad.  Tha  following  diagrams  illustrata  tha 
mathod: 


Las  cartas,  planchas,  tablaaux,  ate,  pauvant  Atra 
fiimto  A  das  taux  da  rMuctlon  diffArants. 
Lorsqua  ia  documant  ast  trap  grand  pour  Atra 
raproduit  an  un  aaui  cllchA,  11  ast  film*  A  partir 
da  I'angla  supAriaur  gaucha.  da  gaucha  A  drolta, 
at  da  haut  an  baa,  an  pranant  la  nombra 
d'Imagas  nAcassalra.  Las  diagrammas  suivants 
iilustrant  la  m4thoda. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

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THE 

TRAVELS  AND  ADVENTURES 

DAVID   C.  BUNXELL, 

DURIIfG    TWENTY-THREE   YEARS   OF    A    SEA-FARING    LIFfi  ; 
CONTAINING   AN   ACCURATE   ACCOUNT  OF  THE 

ijnder  the  command  of  com.  oli\  er  h.  perry  ; 

-  "  TOGETHER  WITH 

TEN  YEARS'  SERVICE  IN  THE  NAVY  OF  THE 
UNITED  STATES.         g 

— ALSO—  '    .*  '    *' 

SERVZCS  AMOirO  THE  ORSEKS, 

IMPRISONMENT  AMONG  THE  TURKS,  he.  fee. 


jf 


WRITTEBI  BY  HIMSELF. 


Truth  should  never  fail  to  please, 
Nor  yield  to  fiction's  sway — 

'Tis  that  will  guide  us  on  with  ease, 
And  smooth  the  rugged  way. 


PAIiMYBA,  ]V.  Y. 

PRINTED  BT  E.  B.  GRANDIN,  AND  PUBLISHED  BY 
J.  H.  BORTLES. 

1831. 


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i' 


THE 


TRAVELS  AND  ADVEIVTURES 

OF 

DAVID   C.  BUKXELL, 

DURIMG    TWENTY-THREE    YEARS    OF   A    SEA-FARING    LIFfi  ; 
CO.NTAIHING  A»  ACCURATE   ACCOUNT  OF  THE 

LNDER  THE  COMMAND  OF  COM.  OLIVER  H.  PERRY  ; 

TOGETHER  WITH 

TEN  YEARS'  SERVICE  IN  THE  NAVY  OP  THE 
UNITED  STATES.         ^ 

ALSO—  .  *  -     ' 

SERVICS  AUdONG  THE  GBBEKS, 

LMPJIISONMENT  AMONG  THE  TURKS,  &c.  kc. 


WRITTEN  BY  HIMSEIiF. 


Truth  should  never  fail  to  please, 
Nor  yield  to  fiction's  sway — 

"Tis  that  will  guide  us  on  with  ease, 
And  smooth  the  rugged  way- 


PALMYRA,  IV.  Y. 

PRINTED  BY  E.  B.  GRANDIN,  AND  PUBLISHED  BY 
J.  H.  BORTLES. 

1831. 


LP 


/ 


tt 


r. 


( 


KORTHElL\  lUSPRiCT  OF) 
AElVVO/iK,  s,.  S 


L.J? 


\  UK  IT  KElMKMBKKEI).  Tlml  un  tliu  cif;htepiuli  Ja> 
I  ut'May,  Anno  Duniini  une  lliuudund  viglit  liuniircd  anil 
^  Jhirty  one,  .lACOD  II.  HURTLES,  of  the  said  Dis- 
trict, iiaili  deposited  in  tliisotVicc  the  title  ot'u  iiook,  lu  ihc  wurdt^ 
following,  to  vvii 

"Tinvels  and  Adventurus  of  David  C  ISuiinell,  during  twenty- 
(hreo  yuarj  of  u  sea-furing  life,  containing;  ait  accurate  account  of 
t)i|PBattlf  ot  Lake  Krie,  under  the  command  of  Cum.  Oliver  II. 
Perry  .  tofrevlier  will  ten  yeurs'  service  in  the  Navy  of  the  U.  S. 
Also,  service  amon^  tlie  tJreeks,  imprisonment  among  the  Turks, 
<!tc.  Written  *>y  hinisell'. 

"Truth  should  never  ftii!  to  please,  nor  yield  to  fiction's  sway, 
"  'Tis  that  will  guide  us  on  with  ease,  and  smooth  the  rngged  way." 
Tlie  right  whereof  ho  rlaini.s  as  proprietor,  in  conformity  wiili 
an  act  of  Congress,  entitled  "  An  net  to  amend  the  .several  acts  re- 
spectins  copy  rights.'  RUTGEK  B.  MILLER, 

Clerk  of  1',  S.  Distrii-t  Court  for  Norltiern  Dist.  of  N.  York. 


(I 


ipp 


m 


,^ 


PREFACE. 


I  have  been  induced  to  publish  tu  the  world  this  my 
chequered  life,  from  a  thorough  conyiction  that  a  re- 
hearsal ot'  the  sufl'erings  and  privations  I  have  cndu- 
red,  will  be  both  interesting  and  instructive  to  at  least 
a  portion  of  community.  My  most  ardent  and  sincere 
desire  is,  that  it  may  be  instrumental  in  deterring  youth 
tVom  pursuing  the  same  thoughtless  and  ruinous  ca- 
reer that  I  have. 

My  whole  life  has  been  spent  either  in  the  field  of 
battle,  or  tossing  upon  the  octwn's  waves  ;  and  lam 
consequently  incapable  of  writing  this  narrative  in  that 
elegance  of  style  which  would  add  to  its  interest  and 
please  the  patrons  of  the  work.  But  the  reader  is  as- 
sured that,  however  surp'  'sing  or  incredible  some  of 
the  facts  it  contains  may  appear,  I  have  strictly  adhe- 
red to  truth  in  every  part  of  it. 

The  many  hardships  I  have  endured  have  seriously 
impaired  my  health  ;  the  hull  of  my  vessel  is  no  more 
able  to  encounter  the  peltings  of  the  pitiless  storm  ; 
my  sails  can  no  longer  withstand  the  fury  of  the  gale  ; 
and  I  must  therefore  bo  content  to  spend  the  remain- 
Jer  of  my  days  on  terra  firma. 

I  will  barely  add,  that  I  hope  this  simple,  though  true 
history  of  my  life  and  adventures,  may  be  the  means, 
through  the  patronage  and  generosity  of  my  country- 
men, not  only  of  checking  the  wild  career  of  many  a 
reckless  youth,  but  also  of  alleviating  in  some  measure, 
the  ills  and  distresses  incident  to  a  wrecked  constitu- 
tion, of  one  the  best  part  of  whose  life  has  been  devo- 
ted to  the  serv'co  of  his  country     THE  AUTHOR. 


xmi  i^ 


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« 


TRAVELS,  &C. 


CHAPTER  I. 


I  shall  pass  over  my  boyish  days  in  silence, 
and  commence  at  that  period  in  my  life  when  I 
first  went  to  sea.  There  was  nothing  in  my  ju- 
venile days  remarkable,  except  that  I  always  had 
a  great  desire  for  rambling.  This  my  mother 
endeavored  to  check  when  in  the  bud ;  but  it 
was  all  in  vain,  as  you  shall  learn  in  the  sequel. 

I  was  born  in  the  town  of  Cheshire,  state  of 
Connecticut,  May  20,  1793.  My  father  Ebene- 
zer  Bunnell,  was  a  sea-faring  man,  and  died  at 
sea  when  I  was  but  two  years  old.  My  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Curtiss,  is  still  alive, 
(1831,)  and  resides  in  the  town  of  York,  county 
of  Livingston,  N.  Y.  I  had  two  sisters,  who 
were  both  older  than  myself.  One  of  them  is 
yet  living ;  the  other  died  some  years  since. — 
My  mother  was  married  to  her  second  husband 
when  I  was  in  my  sixth  year.  They  lived  hap- 
py together  but  a  short  time,  when  he  was  called 
from  this  world  to  dwell  with  departed  spirits  in 
another.  We  then  moved  to  the  head  of  the 
Delaware  River,  where  we  resided  a*few  years, 
and  from  thence  we  went  to  New- York.  I  was 
here  bound  an  apprentice  to  Mr.  J —  A.  C— — ,* 
a  stone  cutter,,  Soon  after,  my  mother  mo- 
ved  back  to  the  Delaware,  and  left  me  as  it  were 

*  The  name  is  withheld  out  of  respect  for  relativcw. 


BUNNELL  S 


,''^- 


alone,  ami  I  never  saw  her  again  in  twenty- 
three  years  and  seven  months. 

Little  did  I  think  at  this  time,  that  our  separa- 
tion would  be  of  so  long  duration.  Reader,  her 
advice  to  me  at  parting,  you  must  picture  to 
yourself;  only  remember  that  it  was  given  by  a 
tender  and  affectionate  mother,  to  an  only  son. — 
It  made  an  impression  on  my  heart  which  will 
never  be  effaced  by  the  troubles  and  afflictions 
of  this  life.  Even  the  thoughts  of  being  separa- 
ted from  her,  perhaps  forever,  brought  floods  of 
tears  into  my  eyes.  But  they  were  soon  i^ried 
up  by  thoughts  more  pleasing  to  my  youthful 
and  naturally  volatile  mind. 

Here  I  was,  in  a  populous  city,  w  ith  every  in- 
ducement in  the  world  to  lead  me  astray.  I  soon 
found  my  master  to  be  an  ungrateful  tyrant.  He 
never  gave  me  a  moral  lesson,  nor  bid  mc  walk 
in  the  path  of  virtue.  It  would  seem  that  his 
only  object  was  to  keep  me  in  the  most  strict 
servitude.  - 

Had  he  watched  over  my  youthful  habits,  and 
prescribed  to  me  the  circle  in  which  to  figure, 
and  ''taught  the  youthful  idea  how  to  shoot,"  I 
probably  should  not  have  suflered  the  hardships 
and  misfortunes  which  I  am  about  to  narrate^  and 
my  mother  would  have  been  released  from  ma- 
ny a  flood  of  tears,  and  many  a  heart-rending 
sigh.  But  fate  had  so  fixed  it — -read  on  and  you 
will  learn. 

Having  been  born  in  the  lap  of  Liberty,  the 
first  words  I  had  been  taught  to  lisp,  were  Free- 
dom and  Independence.  Of  course  I  could  not 
brook  this  restraint,  and  determined  to  runaway 
the  very  first  opportunity.     A  fellow  apprentice 


A 


TRAVELS. 


who  had  been  one  voyage  at  sea,  resolved  on  go- 
ing with  me. 

Our  plan  was  to  hire  a  boat  with  the  ostensi- 
ble purpose  of  going  a  fishing,  and  as  soon  as 
out  of  sight  of  our  master  to  proceed  up  the  East 
River  to  Boston.  We  were  both  young  and  un- 
acquainted with  the  way,  and  regardless  of  the 
dangers  to  which  we  might  be  exposed. 

Accordingly,  having  procured  by  dint  of  liard 
persuasion,  from  our  master,  sixpence  each,  ut- 
borrowed  a  boat  of  the  captain  of  a  sloop  which 
lay  at  the  wharf,  find  with  a  piece  of  an  old  blan- 
ket for  a  sail,  we  proceeded  on  our  first  mari- 
time exploit.  Our  voyage  was  a  pleasant  one  c.^, 
far  as  Hell's  Gate.  Here  we  put  on  shore  to 
procure  provisions  for  our  intended  tour.  This 
consisted  of  six  cents  worth  of  crackers  and, 
cheese.  '      ^  ' 

We  now  again  put  off  to  sea,  mutually  pro- 
mising, (like  the  two  friends  in  the  fable,)  to  as- 
sist each  other  in  case  of  danger.  We  had  not 
gone  far,  before  we  perceived,  not  a  "  Bear  ma- 
king up  to  us  in  great  rage,"  but  what  was  to 
me  ten  times  more  frightful — the  awful  roaring  * 
of  a  thunder  storm.  All  our  courage  and  sea- 
manship vanished  in  a  moment.  I  began  to 
moan  and  ejaculate  for  help,  but  none  was  near. 
My  companion  little  less  frightened  than  myself, 
we  resolved  to  run  the  boat  ashore  and  finish  our 
exploit  by  land.  We  landed  near  Harlaem.  It 
was  now  my  intention  to  go  to  my  mother;  and 
well  would  it  have  been  for  me,  had  I  put  thi3 
plan  into  execution. 

We  travelled  as  far  as  Sing  Sing,  about  thirty 
miles  from  New- York.    Here  I  hired  out  to  a 


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BUNNELL'S 


r^« 


Mr.  Hunt  as  hostler.  With  him  I  remained 
for  some  weeks  in  great  security.  But  our  mas- 
ter advertising  "  ten  dollars  reward^^  for  us,  we 
were  soon  apprehended.  The  man  t«  ith  whom 
I  lived  kept  a  public  house.  One  morning  a 
gentleman  drove  up  to  the  door ;  I  ran  to  take 
his  horses ;  but  good  heavens !  how  surprised 
was  I  to  see  in  the  chaise  my  old  master !  He  very 
gravely  asked  me  if  it  was  not  about  time  to  go 
home?  With  considerable  presence  of  mind,  I 
in  a  moment  thought  what  answer  it  was  best  to 
make.  (By  the  bye,  I  have  always  been  much  cel- 
ebrated for  my  presence  of  mind  in  the  most  try- 
ing scenes.) — I  gravely  replied,  that  "I  was  just 
thinking  about  it."  He  had  already  secured  my 
compai^ion  and  sent  him  home.  After  receiving 
a  little  refreshment,  he  took  fne  into  the  carriage 
with  him  and  started  for  Nftw-York,  where  we 
soon  arrived,  and  I  was  again  set  at  work.  I 
now  took  a  retrospective  view  of  my  past  ex- 
ploit, and  found  it  was  all  owing  to  bad  calcula- 
tion that  my  scheme  had  failed.  So  I  resolved 
on  embracing  the  first  opportunity  presented  to 
again  bid  my  master  good-bye.  I  could  see  no 
other  way  than  to  once  more  try  the  ocean. — 
This  I  foolishly  thought  would  at  once  rid  me  of 
all  my  cares,  and  give  me  perfect  happiness. — 
But  oh !  how  vain  and  visionary  are  all  the  air- 
built  hopes  and  imaginations  of  youth ! 

Consider  my  young  reader — especially  you  of 
volatile  minds — and  view  my  folly  in  its  true 
light — take  my  advice,  which  sad  experience  has 
taught  me  how  to  give  and  which  I  give  in  sin- 
cerity. Do  not  be  guided  by  wild  imaginations ; 
your  tender  minds  are  inadequate  to  the  taek  of 


m. 


TRAVELS. 


self  government.  Listen  to  the  advice  of  your 
parents  :  they  will  never  advise  you  wrong. — 
May  you  never  be  placed  in  my  situation — ^not  a 
friend  to  condole  with.  ^ 


CHAPTER  11. 

The  first  week  after  I  returned  to  New-York, 
I  kept  revolving  in  my  mind  a  thousand  different 
schemes.  At  last  I  came  to  the  awful  conclu- 
sion of  bidding  adieu  to  all  my  relations,  my 
friends  and  my  country  at  once.  According- 
ly one  Sunday  I  rambled  along  the  wharf  in 
search  of  a  vessel.  I  had  the  sagacity  to  think  if 
I  went  away  in  one*  belonging  to  the  Americans, 
I  would  have  to  come  back  again.  So  I  deter- 
mined to  ship  on  board  of  one  bound  to  sdlbe 
other  nation. 

I  found  in  White  Hall  Slip,  an  English  Ship 
belonging  to  Halifax,  for  which  place  she  was 
bound,  and  was  to  sail  on  the  next  Tuesday — 
I  agreed  with  the  captain  to  go  with  him  in  the 
capacity  of  a  Cabin  Boy,  at  twelve  dollars  per 
month,  and  promised  to  come  on  board  the  next 
night.  I  worked  all  the  next  day,  (Monday,)  to 
complete  my  plan  of  elopement.  Not  a  soul  did 
I  let  into  my  secret.  I  was  so  much  absorbed 
in  the  thoughts  of  leaving  every  thing  that  ought 
to  be  held  dear  on  earth  behind  me,  that  I  could 
not  eat.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  desciibe  my 
feelings  at  this  time.  My  mistref  s  took  notice 
of  my  disordered  appearance,  and  inquired  in- 


'  .f*. 


h*:'^- 


f: 


'\ 


10 


BUNNELL  S 


to  the  cause.  I  told  her  I  was  unwell.  This 
seemed  to  satisfy  her.  I  waited  with  the  grea- 
test impatience  for  sundown.  At  length  the  long 
wished  for  hour  arrived.  My  heart  beat  quick, 
as  if  enj5keavoring  to  break  from  its  confinement. 
1  dressed  myself  in  my  best  suit,  took  a  small 
bundle  of  apparel  and  threw  it  out  of  the  garret 
window  into  the  street.  I  then  came  softly 
down  stairs,  and  bidding  sailent  farewell  to  my 
friends  and  my  country,  picked  up  my  bundle 
and  decamped. 

I  arrived  on  board  of  the  English  ship  Brit- 
ania,  Capt.  Lovett,  the  next  morning.  We  soon 
made  sail ;  but  an  accident  happened,  that  like 
to  have  baffled  all  my  expectations.  The  vessel 
touched  on  a  rock  oflfthe  end  of  the  wharf  and 
unshipped  her  rudder.  This  detained  us  until 
Wednesday.  As  ./e  were  .making  sail  I  saw 
my  master  and  another  gentleman  on  the  wharf, 
but  they  did  not  discover  me. 

We  proceeded  to  sea — my  heart  leaped  for 
joy  to  think  that  I  was  clear  from  the  reach  of 
ray  miscreant  of  a  master. 

I  now  commenced  the  first  of  my  cooking,  in 
which  I  was  rather  unsuccessful ;  the  first  time  I 
cleared  the  table,  1  threw  overboard,  with  my 
dishwater,  all  the  teaspoons.  This  drew  seve- 
ral hearty  curses  from  the  captain,  and  a  num- 
ber of  simg  blows  on  my  back,  from  the  mate — 
"byway  of  introduction,"  as  he  termed  it — a 
pretty  severe  "introduction"  too,  thought  I. 

Soon  the  lessening  hills  of  my  native  and  be- 
loved country,  could  only  be  distinguished  by  a 
long  line  of  Iblue  along  the  horizon,  and  soon 
they  were  out  of  sight.     This  was  the  first  time 


•*v  - 


TRAVELS. 


n 


I  had  ever  beheld  the  sublime  scene  of  the, ocean 
bounded  only  by  the  horizon — and  to  add  to  its 
grandeur,  the  sun  was  just  finishing  his  daily 
course,  and  seemed  as  if  calmy  to  resign  himself 
to  the  bosom  of  the  ocean.  The  breeze  gradu- 
ally died  away  and  all  seemed  grand  and  silent, 
save  tlie  flapping  of  the  sails  against  the  masts, 
occasioned  by  the  gentle  motion  of  the  vessel. 

Supper  being  over,  I  retired  to  bed — not  to  re- 
flect on  my  situation — among  strangers — unpro- 
tected— unbefriended  and  in  a  foreign  vessel, 
bound  to  a  foreign  country — but  to  congratulate 
myself  on  my  lucky  escape  from  my  master. 

Picture  to  yourself,  gentle  reader,  my  forlorn 
situation.  Bidding,  for  aught  I  knew,  an  eternal 
farewell  to  a  kind  and  affectionate  mother,  who 
had  watched  with  tender  solicitude  my  infancy 
and  childhood — who  had  endured  so  many  pains 
and  hardships  for  my  sake.  To  all  this  I  bid 
adieu,  with  scarcely  a  pang — merely  sighin^- 
to  myself,  *' farewell  mother!"  Ungrateful  and 
unteeling  wretch  that  I  was  ! 

I  hope  that  every  youth  who  reads  this  will 
learn  from  it  to  do  better  than  I  have  done,  and  to 
repay  with  obedience  the  cares  and  affections  of 
their  parents. 

I  was  aroused  about  four  o'clock  in  the  mor- 
ning by  the  terrible  motion  of  the  vessel — the 
dashing  of  the  waves  against  its  sides,'  and  the 
hoarse  voice  of  the  captain,  as  he  gave  orders  to 
the  crew.  There  was  a  tremendous  gale  of  wind 
— I  endeavored  to  get  on  deck ;  but  the  motion 
of  the  vessel  was  so  great,  that  I  dared  not  ven- 
ture until  day-light ;  besides  I  was  sea-sick — ^the 
wor^t  ]iind  Qf  sickness,    i  began  to  think  that 


iMIUHi 


y 


12 


Bunnell's 


I- 


the  hour  of  my  eternal  departure  was  drawing 
near,  for  I  did  verily  believe  that  the  ship  and 
all  hands  were  soon  to  be  plunged  to  the  bottom 
of  the  angry  and  restless  ocean ;  and  I  thought 
that  God  had  taken  this  course  to  bring  me  to  a 
sense  of  the  reckless  and  inflexible  course  I  had 
thus  far  pursued. 

At  length  the  niorning  appeared,  and  the  last 
ray  of  hope  that  had  lingered  in  my  bosom  du- 
ring the  night  was  now  driven  away  by  the 
dreadful  roaring  of  the  ocean — the  waves  rolled 
mountainous  high,  and  seemed  even  to  contend 
with  the  sky — the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents 
— and  the  wind  blew  almost  a  hurricane.  Eve- 
ry thing  seemed  to  confirm  me  in  the  opinion 
that  we  must  go  to  the  bottom.  I  wept  and 
moaned,  but  received  no  pity — and  was  only 
laughed  at,  and  called  a  "lubberly  fool"  by  the 
captain  and  mate. 

I  now  called  on  God  to  save  me  from  destruc- 
tion. How  natural  it  is  for  sailors  to  call  for 
help,  when  death  and  danger  stare  them  in  the 
face ;  and  bow  little  do  they  reverence  His  di- 
vine will  and  pleasure  when  the  storm  is  over ! 

Had  I  been  owner  of  all  the  riches  of  India,  I 
would  at  this  time  freely  have  given  them  to 
have  been  on  shore.  Like  the  prodigal  son,  I 
would  have  gone  to  my  mother — fallen  on  my 
knees  at  her  feet — ^begged  her  pardon,  and  re- 
mained at  home  the  rest  of  my  days. 

The  gale  continued  with  unabated  fury,  for 
several  days,  during  which  time  we  could  not 
show  any  sail.  The  oldest  sailor  on  board  was 
not  entirely  unmindful  of  the  brittle  thread  .by 
which  we  were  suspended.    For  my  part,  I  was 


>   ■' 


t' 


TRAVELS. 


IS 


I 

I 


sick  the  whole  time.  This  was  indeed  a  solemn 
and  distressing  scene  to  so  new  a  beginner  as 
I  was. 

At  length  the  gale  subsided — a  gentle  wind 
succeeded — and  the  raging  of  the  turbulent  ocean 
was  hushed.  Believe  me,  with  the  abatement 
of  the  storm  my  fears  all  vanished.  My  anxiety 
about  home,  mother  and  friends,  was  forgotten. 

The  third  day  after  the  gale,  we  spoke  the 
ship  Planter,  of  New-York,  from  Liverpool, 
bound  for  New- York.  She  had  lost  several  of 
her  masts  in  the  late  violent  gale,  and  was  in 
rather  a  shattered  condition.  , 

The  rest  of  our  passage  was  short  and  plea- 
sant. At  Halifax  I  purchased  a  tarpawling  hat, 
and  sailor's  jacket  and  trowsers,  and  there  was  nq 
braver  sailor  than  myself. 


CHAPTER  III. 


'i^ 


on,  I 

1 

1  my 

m 

i  re- 

m 

,  for 

1 

i  not 

m 

was 

m 

d.by 

m 

was 

fl 

The  Captain  now  offered  to  take  me  as  an 
apprentice.  Accordingly  I  bound  myself  to  him 
until  I  was  twenty-one.  He  ^as  to  learn  me  the 
art  and  mystery  of  seaman-ship— give  me  schoo- 
ling, and  at  the  expiration  of  my  term  of  ser- 
vice, I  was  ^o  have  two  good  suits  of  clothes, 
mathematical  instruments,  etcaetera. 

We  here  refitted  our  ship,  took  in  a  cargo  of 
salt  fish,  pork,  beef,  etc.  and  proceeded  to  sea, 
bound  to  St.  Domingo.  The  fourth  day  after 
sailing,  we  caught  several  Dolphins.  The  varie- 
gating colors  of  this  fish  in  the  agonies  of  death, 


14 


BUNNELL'S 


are  truly  beautiful  in  the  extreme.     There  is  no 
oolor  you  can  name  but  what  they  represent.     I 
made  of  this   fish  a  dish  seamen   call  chow- 
der.    It  consists  of  pork,  potatoes,  fish,  &c. — 
This,  when  well  made,  is  most  excellent  eating. 
Just  as  I  was  preparing  my  dinner,  rather  a 
farcical  circumstance  happened.     I  will  merely 
mention   it  for  your  amusement.     You  will  na- 
turally suppose  that  I  did  not  make  a  very  neat 
Cabin  Boy — having  never  done  any  thing  of  the 
kind  before  in  my  life.     There  had  been  a  slight 
shower  of  rain,  which  made  the  cabin  steps  ra- 
ther muddy  and  slippery.     Our  cabin  was  quite 
small.     The  company  in  it  consisted  of  the  cap- 
tain, mate,  second  mate,  two  lady  and  two  gen- 
tlemen passengers.     One  of  the  ladies  was  con- 
siderably advanced  in  years,  and  the  other  about 
seventeen.     The  elderly  lady  was  seated  imme- 
diately at  the  foot  of  the  steps ;  the  young  lady 
on  her  right ;  and  the  others  were  promiscuously 
seated   around  the  table.     I  proceeded  with  a 
large  turrene  full  of  chowder  for  the  cabin ;  no 
•sooner  had  I  put  my  foot  on  the    upper  step, 
than  it  slipped,  and  I  landed,  turrene  and  chow- 
der, helter-skelter,  among  the  ladies.     The  old 
lady  screamed,  and  well  she  might,  for  both  of 
lier  feet  were  scalded.     The  young  lady  fainted, 
but  she  received  no  material  injury.     The  whole 
company  was  now  in  the  utmost  confusion,  ex- 
cept the  captain,who  coolly  exclaimed — "Egad — 
each  pick  up  his  own !"     The  cook  was  sent 
for,  who  soon  cleaned  the  cabin,  and  the  com- 
pany after  becoming  a  little  composed,  sat  down 
and  made  a  dinner  of  salt  beef  and  potatoes. 


TRAVELS. 


15 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Nothing  of  particular  importance  happened 
until  we  made  the  land  of  St.  Domingo.  The 
English  at  this  time  were  at  war  with  the  French, 
and  the  Island  was  much  infected  with  priva- 
teers. This  we  expected,  and  had  armed  our 
vessel  for  the  purpose.  She  mounted  six  car- 
riage guns,  of  six  pounds  each  ;  and  a  comple- 
ment of  ten  men  before  the  mast.  One  mor- 
ning, just  at  daylight,  a  man  at  the  mast  head, 
called  out — "  Sail  ho !"  We  found,  as  it  grew 
lighter,  that  she  was  a  small  private  armed  ves- 
sel. As  soon  as  we  were  perceived  by  her,  she 
made  sail  towards  us — hoisted  French  colors, 
and  fired  a  gun.  We  hoisted  English  colors  and 
returned  the  compliment. 

An  engagement  commenced  with  great  fury  on 
bolli  sides.  Our  captain  had  every  thing  in  the 
world  to  contend  for,  having  risqued  all  his  pro- 
perty in  ladening  the  vessel.  The  French  on 
the  other  hand  seemed  determined  to  make  a 
prize  of  us.  t. 

The  ladies  in  the  cabin  were  worse  frightened 
now  than  when  one  was  scald  3d  by  the 
chowder,  though  not  as  badly  injured.  I  was 
stationed  in  the  cabin  to  pass  the  powder  to  the 
men  on  deck,  what  sailors  call  a  *'  powder  mon- 
key." This  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  heard 
the  vengeful  bullet  whistle  about  my  ears.  I 
did  not  much  like  the  fun;  but  as  it  happened, 
I  received  no  material  injury — although  the  shot 
flew  through  our  cabin  windows  in  such  show- 
ens,  that  they  came  well  nigh  depriving  us  of  all 
our  crockery.  -  ,*. 


\ 


16 


BUNNELL'S 


The  action  lasted  little  over  an  hour ;  when 
the  French,  having  lost  their  fore-mast  and  bow- 
sprit, pulled  away  from  us  with  their  sweeps. — 
I  assure  you  we  were  not  sorry  to  get  clear  of 
such  troublesome  company. 

Our  captain  and  two  of  our  men  were  slightly 
wounded,  and  one  man  killed.  This,  with  some 
slight  damage  to  the  rigging  and  hull  of  our  ves- 
sel, and  the  loss  of  crockery,  (to  make  no  ac- 
count of  the  hysteric  fits  of  one  of  our  lady  pas- 
sengers, and  the  fainting  of  an  old  maid  of  the 
other  sex,)  was  about  all  the  injury  we  recei- 
ved. 

All  was  now  calm,  until  the  next  morning, 
when  a  moderate  breeze  arose  from  the  north, 
and  we  steered  into  the  harbor  of  Port  au  Prince, 
wherfe  we  came  to  anchor  at  sun  set.  This  har- 
bor is  very  convenient  for  shipping,  and  was  at 
this  time  under  the  government  of  the  Blacks. 

It  was  quite  laughable  to  see  the  black  army 
drawn  out  on  parade;  some  entirely  naked; 
others  with  one  shoe  on,  and  a  few  with  a  shirt. 
I  saw  several  of  the  officers  with  great  swords 
hung  to  their  sides,  with  no  other  apparel  on 
than  a  ragged  pair  ojf  par.taloons  and  cocked  hat. 
The  president  was  also  very  meanly  clad.  But 
they  had  not  long  been  free  from  the  bondage  of 
their  tyranical  masters,  and  had  not  as  yet  had 
an  opportunity  of  procuring  clothing. 

We  liere  left  our  passengers.  The  old  lady, 
notwithstanding  the  chowder  accident,  on  lea- 
ving, made  me  a  pi'csent ;  and  so  did  several 
of  the  other  passengers. 

We  now  sold  our  cargo,  and  prepared  to  ca- 
reen the  ship  for  the  purpose  of  repairing  the 


-F  tfer*- 


TRAVELS.' 


17 


damage  she  had  sustained  in  our  conflict  with 
the  French.  The  mate  had  several  times  on  the 
passage,  treated  me  rather  roughly,  and  I  had 
«aid  in  his  hearing,  that  I  would  run  away  as 
soon  as  we  arrived  in  port.  This  the  captain 
flaid  he  would  prevent,  and  accordingly  gave  or- 
ders that  I  should  not  go  on  shore  while  the 
vessel  remained  there.  Hearing  this  sentence 
of  restricture  passed  upon  me,  I  resolved  to  leave 
him  if  possible,  and  was  determined  to  bother 
the  mate  all  I  could  while  I  remained  on  board, 
and  risk  the  consequences. 

At  length  the  ship  was  ready  to  be  hove  down ; 
it  was  my  business  to  see  that  every  thing  in  the 
cabin  was  safely  secured  to  prevent  breakage. — 
The  mate  had  purchased  two  dozen  bottles  of 
«yrup.  These  he  ordered  me  to  tak^  particular 
care  of.  I  did  so,  and  placed  them  where  they 
would  all  be  sure  to  be  broken.  I  heard  after 
wards  that  they  were,  and  spoiled  a  new  flag; 
belonging  to  the  captain,  which  cost  about  forty 
dollars. 

We  were  very  much  troubled  with  rats,  and 
had  no  cat.  I  told  the  captain  if  he  would  let 
me  go  on  shore  that  I  would  get  one.  One  day 
he  ordered  me  to  take  a  bag  and  go  to  his  boar- 
ding house  and  get  one.  This  I  thought  was  my 
time.  I  once  left  all  my  relations  and  every 
thing  dear  to  me,  to  get  clear  of  restrmnt; 
<herefore  I  did  not  now  hesitate  to  leave  stran- 
gers and  tyrants  for  the  same  purpose. 

I  took  the  bag  and  proceeded  to  the  house 
where  I  was  ordered  to  go  for  the  cat.  The  old 
man  told  me  if  I  would  remain  until  sundown, 
that  he  would  give  me  half  a  dollar  to  buy  fruit 


y",  . 


^ 


18 


BUNNELL'S 


with.  I  accepted  his  proposal  and  remained 
with  him.  At  sundown  I  took  the  half  dollar, 
bag,  and  cat,  and  bid  the  old  gentleman  good 
evening.  No  sooner  had  I  passed  the  corner  of 
the  house  than  1  ^Met  the  cat  out  of  the 
bag,''  and  steered  the  way  fortune  directed. 
I  knew  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  keep  close  to 
the  sea  shore ;  so  I  proceeded  to  the  back 
part  of  the  town,  where  I  passed  the  next  day 
in  great  security. 

It  was  surprising  to  view  the  manners  and 
customs  of  these,  to  us,  miserable  beings.  1 
saw  hundreds  of  men,  women,  and  children, 
nearly  naked,  promiscuously  arranged  round  a 
large  fountain  of  water,  which  was  situated  near> 
ly  in  the  centre  of  the  town — all  unconcerned  as 
regaled  their  Eve-like  clothing.  All  seemed 
to  be  engaged  in  their  respective  occupations  ; 
some  carrying  water  on  their  heads  in  large  tubs; 
others  washing  in  the  same  stream  without  the 
least  regard  to  decency. 

No  sooner  had  the  sun  ran  his  daily  course, 
and  reclined  behind  the  western  horizon — than 
I,  like  some  midnight  robber,  stole  out  from  my 
liiding  place  and  began  to  look  around  for  some 
future  prospects  in  life.  What  to  do,  I  could 
not  tell.  But,  having  escaped  once  or  twice 
from  imminent  danger,  I  trusted  to  Him,  or  some- 
body, I  did  not  at  that  time  know  who,  to  take 
care  of  me.  My  whole  mind  was  occupied  in 
planning  some  scheme  for  my  future  safety. 

I  went  to  the  water's  side ;  here  I  met  with  an 
old  negro,  who  could  speak  English.  I  inquired 
of  him  if  he  knew  of  any  ship  that  wanted  hands. 
He  told  me  he  did,  and  if  I  would  give  him  two 


TRAVELS. 


bils,  (which  is  twenty-five  cents,)  he  would  take 
me  to  it.  I  did  not  stand  for  ceremony,  but  gave 
him  the  money — jumped  into  his  canoe,  and  he 
paddled  oif.  I  kept  a  sharp  look  out  to  see  if  he 
was  not  going  to  the  ship  1  had  left ;  but  to  my 
great  joy,  he  did  not.  He  took  me  on  board  the 
ship  Diana,  of  Liverpool,  Capt.  Willson.  She 
was  bound  for  Liverpool,  and  wanted  hands. 

The  vessels  generally  lose  more  or  less  of 
their  crews  here,  from  sickness,  while  lying  in 
port ;  and  when  they  get  ready  to  start,  will 
have  hands,  even  if  they  have  to  use  unfair  means 
to  obtain  them  from  other  vessels.  This  was 
t)ie  case  with  the  Diana. 

[  soon  agreed  with  the  captain  to  sail  for  Liv* 
crpool,  at  twenty  dollars  per  month.  The  more 
experienced  seamen  had  forty  dollars.  As  she 
would  not  be  ready  to  sail  under  two  or  three 
days,  all  the  men  that  could  be  procured,  were 
to  be  secreted  in  some  safe  place.  Accordingly,, 
the  next  morning,  I  was  sent,  with  eleven  oth- 
ers, nine  miles  out  of  town,  to  a  place  called 
''Nine-mile  Watering  Place."  Here  I  found 
twenty-five  men  belonging  to  two  other  vessels, 
who  were  to  sail  in  company  with  us,  and  were 
waiting  for  their  vessels  to  come  out  of  the  harbor. 

We  lived  at  the  house  of  an  old  Frenchman^ 
who  was  paid  by  our  respective  captains  for  our 
board.  We  had  nothing  to  do  here  but  ramble 
about  in  the  woods — eat  oranges,  and  other 
fruit,  that  grew  here  in  great  abundance. 

At  this  place  I  saw  a  glass  snake,  the  first  and 
only  one  1  ever  saw  ;  though  I  was  told  that  they 
were  common  in  that  country.  It  was  about  sev^ 
en  feet  long,  but  very  small  round.    I  struck  itivith 

■     2* 


to 


Bunnell's 


a  small  bamboo  I  carried  in  my  hand,  and  it  floir 
like  glass,  into  a  number  of  pieces.  One  of  our 
company,  who  had  either  seen  or  heard  of  suck 
a  reptile  before,  told  us  it  would  be  whole  again 
in  an  hour.  We  waited,  and  surprising  as  it 
may  appear,  every  part,  by  gradual  but  slow  mo- 
tion, joined  to  its  proper  part,  and  the  snake  be- 
came whole  again,  received  animation,  and 
crawled  away. 

We  remained  in  this  asylum  for  several  days, 
and  like  the  fox  in  the  brambles,  were  quite  hap- 
py ;  but,  like  him,  soon  found  if  we  attempted 
to  stir,  we  should  be  wounded  on  every  side — 
not  by  thorns  and  briars,  but  by  black  soldiers. 
The  masters  of  vessels  that  had  lost  men,  had 
by  spme  means  obtained  information  of  this 
place  of  refuge,  and  applied  to  government  for 
assistance  and  redress.  Accordingly  there  were 
sent  out  forty  black  soldiers,  under  the  com- 
mand of  a  captain,  lieutenant,  throe  sergeants, 
and  three  corporals,  with  peremptory  orders  to 
take  us  all  back,  either  dead  or  alive.  The  old 
man  with  whom  we  lived,  fell  upon  his  knees, 
and  entreated  us  to  leave  his  house,  for  his  life, 
he  said,  would  be  the  forfeit,  if  it  should  be 
known  that  he  had  concealed  us. 

What  was  now  to  be  done  ?  where  could  we 
flee?  There  was  no  refuge  but  the  mountains, 
and  thai  was  most  certain  starvation.  But  to 
save  the  life  of  the  old  soul  who  had  done  every 
thing  in  his  power  for  our  comfort,  we  left  his 
house  and  retreated  into  the  woods,  to  consult 
upon  what  was  to  be  done.  While  we  were  de- 
liberating, we  heard  the  voices  of  the  black  sol- 
diers that  were  in  pursuit  of  us.    We  had  now 


TRAVELS. 


tl 


no  time  to  lose,  and  in  an  instant  resolved  to 
stand  our  ground.  We  had  no  other  arms  of  de- 
fence than  those  God  had  given  us,  and  a  lai^ge 
cudgel  each.  The  place  where  we  were  sta- 
tioned was  a  small  open  lawn,  formed  hj  nature 
— secured  by  pepper  bushes,  which  grew  very 
thick  and  in  great  abundance.  This  kind  of 
pepper  is  called  the  birdseye  pepper,and  grows  on 
small  bushes  a  little  higher  than  a  man's  head, 
and  very  compact.  I  believe  it  is  found  in  grea- 
ter abundance  on  this  Island  than  any  other  in 
the  West  Indies. 

We  came  to  the  conclusion  to  surround  this  lit- 
tle plane,  and  let  the  enemy  take  possession  of 
it — then  to  rush  upon  them  from  every  quarter, 
at  once — disarm  them,  and  make  for  the  sea  shore 
the  best  way  we  could.  We  succeeded  in  our 
plan  to  the  acme  of  our  expectations.  We  had 
however  but  just  time  to  get  to  our  ambush  be- 
fore they  entered ;  and  a  motley  crew  indeed, 
they  were,  though  well  armed. 

They  stood  a  few  moments  as  if  to  consider 
which  way  we  had  most  likely  retreated.  I 
discovered  the  old  Frenchman  among  them  with 
whom  we  had  boarded,  who  officiated  as  pilot. 
While  they  were  in  this  state  of  suspense,  we 
thought  it  was  our  time  to  sally  upon  them ;  aiid 
as  if  by  instinct,  we  were  amongst  them  in  a 
moment;  and  as  quick  as  thought  the  battle 
became  general.  The  Blacks  fought  with  con- 
siderable warlike  courage;  but  in  so  close  a 
contact  we  had  the  advantage.  A  great  number 
of  them  were  soon  disarmed,  and  their  own 
fire  turned  upon  themselves.  In  short,  the 
slaughter,  considering  our  numbers,  was  very 


X^' 


(i"-. 


t'i 


BVNNELL8 


great  We  killed  twenty-seveh  of  them,  while 
they  killed  only  six  and  wounded  three  of  us. 
They  now  made  a  precipitate  retreat  through 
the  woods ;  and  we  deliberately  marched  from 
the  field  of  battle,  leaving  it  strewed  with  the 
dead  and  wounded  of  the  enemy,  and  made  our 
best  way  to  the  sea  shore. 

Our  captains  having  been  informed  of  the  de- 
tachment that  was  sent  in  pursuit  of  us,  had 
dropped  down  below  the  forts,  and  fortunately 
were  in  readiness  to  receive  us  on  board.  I 
certainly  had  great  reason  for  rejoicing  to  think 
that  I  had  again  escaped  as  it  were  from  the  very 
verge  of  death.  Had  we  remained  on  shore 
three  hours  longer,  [nothing  but  a  miracle  cotild 
have  saved  our  lives.  For  my  part,  I  never  re- 
flected much  on  the  past. 


CHAPTER  V. 

I  was  now  free  from  my  second  master,  and 
resolved  never  to  be  bound  to  another.  The 
wind  proving  fair,  the  next  morning  we  procee- 
ded to  sea.  The  climate  of  this  Island  is  very 
hot,  and  if  it  was  not  for  the  land  and  sea  bree- 
zes, it  would  almost  amount  to  suffocation. — 
These  breezes  seem  formed  by  the  hand  of  Pro- 
vidence for  the  express  purpose  of  cooling  the 
air.  They  are  the  most  regular  in  this  port,  of 
almost  any  other  in  the  world.  I  have  ever  no- 
ticed that  the  sea  breeze  always  sets  in  about 
mid-day,  and  increases  in  freshness  until  about 


TRAVELS. 


23 


four  o'clock  P.  M.  when  it  begins  gradually  to 
die  away,  and  continues  until  about  ten  at  night, 
when  it  is  almost  calm.  The  land  breeze  com- 
mences about  two  in  the  morning,  and  con-  . 
tinues  until  about  ten  ;  from  then  until  the  sea 
breeze  sets  in,  it  is  almost  impossible  for  stran- 
gers to  withstand  the  heat. 

Vessels  that  do  not  leave  the  port  early  in 
the  morning  are  frequently  met  by  the  sea  breeze, 
«ind  arc  obliged  to  beat  out  or  put  back.     We 
sailed  very  early  in  the  morning,  and  consequent- . 
ly  were  not  met  by  it. 

There  were  three  ships  in  company,  viz :  — 
The  Diana  of  Liverpool,  of  twenty  guns,  the 
Eliza  of  London,  of  fourteen  guns,  and  the  Hen- 
ry of  Liverpool,  of  sixteen  guns.  On  board  of 
the  Diana,  the  ship  I  belonged  to,  there  were 
eixty  men,  and  eight  boys,  before  the  mast — the 
captain,  chief  mate,  second  jmate,  third  mate 
and  fourteen  passengers — numbering  eighty-six 
in  the  whole. 

We  expected  to  have  some  trouble  with  the 
French  ;  they  had  heard  that  we  were  richly  la- 
den, and  were  assembled  in  all  the  force  they 
could  muster,  to  make  a  prize  of  us.  It  remain- 
ed nearly  calm  all  that  night.  The  next  mor- 
ning there  were  no  less  than  seven  private  arm- 
ed vessels  of  the  enemy  in  sight ;  but  there 
were  none;  of  them  of  great  magnitude  ;  the  lar- 
gest only  iTiounted  eight  guns.  Seeing  our  for- 
midable force,  they  did  not  think  proper  to  en- 
gage us  at  once,  but  manceuvred  with  all  the  art 
they  were  master  of  to  get  us  separated..  But 
finding  w<*,  were  determined  to  remain  in  com- 
pa*;;,  they  bore  down  and  engaged  us — for  some 


-5»:, 


i  I 


U 


BUNNELL'S 


time  at  long  shot — doing  us  considerable  dam' 
age.  Several  shot  passed  through  our  ship~- 
killed  two  of  our  men,  and  wounded  several  oth- 
ers. The  other  two  vessels  also  received  some 
damage.  They  remained  near  us  for  five  days, 
when  wc  were  relieved  by  the  arrival  of  an  En- 
glish man  of  war  brig. 

The  ship  Henry,  of  Liverpool,  was  found  to 
be  so  badly  damaged,  that  she  was  obliged  to 
bear  away  to  Jamaica.  Four  days  afterwards, 
we  parted  with  the  £liza,  in  a  gale,  and  were 
now  alone. 

Ten  or  twelve  days  after  parting  with  the  Eli- 
za, we  found  that  one  of  the  planks  of  our  ves- 
sel had  been  injured  by  a  shot,  which  we  had 
not  before  discovered,  and  by  the  dashing  of  the 
vi'.ssel  in  the  sea,  she  had  sprang  aleak,  and  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  required  our  utmost  exer- 
tions, day  and  night,  to  keep  her  free.*  This 
of  course  rendered  our  situation  very  perplex^ 
ing,  as  well  as  laborious  ;  and  to  add  to  our  mis- 
fortune, one  of  our  pumps  burst,  and  became 
useless.  We  were  now  left  with  but  one  pump 
— seventeen  hundred  miles  from  land — a'l  awful 
situation  to  be  placed  in  ;  but  those  who  have 
never  experienced  a  similar  one,  can  hardly  im- 
agine our  feelings  at  this  juncture. 

Had  it  not  been  for  one  of  those  seaman-like 
expedients,  that  verifies  the  old  proverb — "ne- 
cessity is  the  mother  of  invention" — we  could 
not  possibly  have  prevented  the  ship  from  sink- 
ing :  we  threw  overboard  nearly  half  our  cargo, 
which  enabled  us  to  bail  out  the  water  with 
buckets,  by  which  means  we  kept  the  vessel 

*  A  sea  term  used  to  aignit'y  th«t  the  hold  or  bottom  ii  free  from 
vrater. 


■i 


YRAVfiLS. 


36 


-'4 


afloat  until  the  wind  abated  and  the  ocean  bq^ 
came  calm  and  smooth. 

We  found  that  our  vessel  had  become  so  light, 
owing  to  the  amount  of  freight  we  had  throwi^ 
overboard,  that  by  lowering  a  man  down  by  a 
rope  into  the  water,  he  was  enabled  to  partially 
atop  the  leak.  This  not  only  relieved  the  crew 
of  a  great  deal  of  labor,  but  the  passengers  of 
much  anxiety. 

We  now  had  a  fair  wind,  and  were  sailing  at 
the  rate  of  eight  or  iiine  knots  per  hour,  and 
flattered  ourselveii  that  we  should  complete  our 
voyage  without  any  further  accident  or  misfor- 
tune. But  how  vain  are  the  prognostications  of 
futurity,  especially  on  the  ocean — where  a  mere 
change  of  the  wind  will  sometimes  in  an  instant 
drive  us  from  our  imaginary  happiness  and  se- 
curity into  the  darkest  dangers,  despair  and  mis- 
ery !  In  about  a  week  after  we  had  stopped  the 
leak,  another  disaster  happened  to  us,  quite  as 
frightful  and  appalling  as  any  that  had  been  ex- 
perienced. We  had  started  our  voyage  with 
water  sufficient  for  one  hundred  and  forty  days, 
and  had  not  been  very  saving  of  it,  supposing 
we  had  a  great  abundance.  We  had  some  on 
deck,  and  two  casks  containing  six  hundred  gal- 
lons each,  below.  Having  used  all  that  was 
on  deck,  we  went  below.  Good  heavens !  Pic- 
ture to  yourself  our  situation !  Not  one  drop 
did  we  find.  The  rats  had  gnawed  holes 
through  the  casks,  and  let  out  all  the  water ! — 
Jhis  happened  the  seventieth  day  after  we  put 
to  sea.  < 

We  had  now  but  one  small  cask  of  water, 
which  had  fortunatelv  been  9ut  on  board  as  sur- 


Bunnell's 


1 1 


^'^ 


plusage ;  this  however  would  scarely  afforil  one 

.ration — and  we  were  over  a  thousand  miles  from 

'  land  !     All  our  cabin  stores  of  wine  and  porter 

were  out.     We  had  sugar,  coffee  and  rum,  but 

no  water  except  the  small  cask. 

Our  captain  called  all  hands  upon  deck,  and 
told  them  the  situation  of  the  vessel,  and  endea- 
vored to  cheer  up  their  drooping  spirits  by  tel- 
ling them  that  they  would  probably  soon  fall  in 
with  some  vessel  from  which  we  might  obtain 
some  addition  to  our  supplies  ot  water;  but  at 
the  same  time  said  he  must  put  us  on  short  al- 
lovi^ance — one  gill  per  day — this  we  received, 
and  no  more,  for  seven  days ;  when,  finding  our 
water  to  be  nearly  exhausted,  our  allowance  was 
reduced  to  a  wine  glass  full  every  twenty-four 
hours.  I'his  we  received  for  seven  days,  at  the 
expiration  of  which,  the  last  drop  of  fresh  water 
on  board  the  vessel  was  served  out  What  do 
you  suppose,  reader,  could  have  been  our  fee- 
lings at  this  juncture  ?  Even  hope  itself  see- 
med to  have  flown,  and  eternitj^  "that  bourne  from 
whence  no  traveller  returns,"  appeared  to  be 
our  only  refuge.  Some  prayed  God  to  save 
them  from  impending  danger;  while  others  cur- 
sed their  hard  fortune,  and  reviled  at  Providence 
for  permitting  these  sufferings,  which  they  could 
not  think  they  deserved.  (The  only  relief  I  ev- 
er found  in  a  scarcity  of  water,  was  to  chew  a 
piece  of  lead ;  this  seemed  to  give  a  trifling  mois- 
ture to  the  mouth.)  For  my  part  I  thought  1 
was  "  sent  for"  in  earnest,  and  began  to  consider 
how  I  was  prepared  to  enter  into  that  world  to 
which  I  was  an  utter  stranger.  I  never  had 
thought  much  of  religion ;  consequently  I  had 


# 


TRAVELS. 


27 


no  stay — ^no  support  fom  that  quarter.  But  still 
a  secret  something  seemed  to  say  to  me,  *'  Bun- 
nell, you  are  to  be  preserved  for  greater  misfor- 
tunes than  this."  Be  that  as  it  may,  I  was 
sure  that  I  could  not  long  survive,  unless  nature 
should  reach  out  her  hand  and  rescue  me  from 
the  ocean,  which  seemed  to  roll  and  tumble 
with  angry  impatience,  to  swallow  me  dp. 

On  the  ninth  morning,  just  at  break  of  day,  I 
discovered  something  on  the  water  which  ap- 
peared like  a  black  spot.  I  communicated  this 
to  some  of  the  crew,  and  with  eager  eyes,  wc 
watched  the  rising  dawn,  and  to  our  inexpres- 
sible dehght,  it  proved  to  be  a  sail.  We  at  this 
time,  would  have  given  the  whole  world  for  the 
privilege  of  falling  on  our  knees  beside  some 
crystal  spring,  and  satisfying  our  bur"  ig  thirst. 
We  made  for  the  sail  with  all  possible  dispatch 
— hoisted  our  colors,  union  down,  as  a  signal  of 
distress.  This  the  other  vessel  observed  and 
bore  down  towards  us.  In  about  two  hours  we 
came  within  hail  of  her,  when  to  add  to  our  mis- 
fortune, she  proved  to  be  a  small  brig  from  Yar- 
mouth, bound  to  the  West  Indies ;  her  whole 
complement  of  men  numbering  but  seven. — 
They  had  a  plenty  of  water  for  themselves,  but 
little  to  spare.  Our  number  had  been  reduced 
by  the  death  of  four,  who  had  expired  from  in- 
tense suffering.  The  crew  of  the  brig  gave  us 
all  the  water  they  could  spare;  and  even  went 
60  far  as  to  put  themselves  on  allowance  to  as- 
sist us.  We  parted  with  them,  and  proceeded 
on  our  way.  We  calculated  to  make  the  land  in 
twenty  days,  and  the  water  we  got  from  this 
vessel,  by  measurement,  would  give  us  only  a 


ti 


m 


mmm 


mm 


86 


BUNNELL'S 


gill  each  per  day  for  twelve  days.  This  see- 
med to  me  worth  more  than  its  weight  in  gold. 

Four  days  after  parting  with  this  brig,  to  our 
great  rehef,  it  rained  for  about  two  hours.  This 
gave  us  an  opportunity  to  fill  all  our  casks, 
which  in  an  instant  as  it  wsre  relieved  us  from 
great  privation  and  distress. 

Our  provisions  by  this  time  began  to  grow 
quite  short ;  but  this  was  nothing  compared  to 
the  want  of  water. 


* 


* 


# 


At  last,  after  enduring  many  toils  and  suffer- 
ings,— such  as  humanity  would  shudder  at — we 
saw  the  land's  end  of  England,  and  mth  a  fair 
and  prosperous  gale,  we  proceeded  up  the  chan- 
nel— every  heart  rejoicing  at  the  prospect  of 
soon  being  in  port,  and  every  soul  on  board  but 
me,  of  landing  in  their  native  country. 

"  But  I  not  destined  such  delights  to  share— 
"My  prime  of  life  in  wandering  spent  and  care." 

But  as  balls  fly,  in  an  engagement,  without 
distinction,  so  did  fortune  throw  her  shafts  with- 
out respect  to  persons.  We  did  expect,  if  the 
wind  had  remained  as  it  was,  to  have  been  in 
Liverpool  in  twenty-four  hours,  but  fate  had 
decreed  it  otherwise.  This  was  the  hundred 
and  tenth  day  of  our  voyage.  The  black  and 
gloomy  appearance  of  the  east,  portended  a 
storm.  The  captain  being  well  acquainted  with 
a  part  of  the  coast,  made  every  preparation  for 
our  safety.  We  close  reefed  our  topsails,  and 
waited  with  patience  for  the  coming  storm.  Every 
thing  was  silent,  like  the  awful  suspense  when 
the  sword  of  the  executioner  hangs  over  the 
neck  ol  its  victim.     \i  last  it  came  with  a  tre- 


f 


TRAVEL* 


2d 


»> 


mendous  force.  The  captain  expected  we  were 
far  enough  up  the  channel,  to  clear  the  old  head 
of  Kinsale,  a  head-land  of  Ireland,  and  accoi^ 
dingly  stood  close  haul  to  the  wind  to  the  N.  £. 

At  four  o'clock  P.  M.  the  forward  watch 
gave  the  dreadful  signal,  of  *' breakers  ahead!" 
We  found  we  could  not  weather  the  rocks. — 
Our  ship  being  so  light,  from  loss  of  cargo 
which  we  had  been  obliged  to  throw  overboard, 
had  fallen  to  the  leward  more  than  we  had  ex- 
pected. 

I  cannot  describe  the  consternation  of  the  crew 
at  this  time.  Our  ship  would  not  stay, — owing 
to  the  heavy  sea. 

The  captain  saw  our  danger,  and  immediately 
ordered  the  anchors  to  be  let  go ;  but  this  was 
of  no  avail.  Before  this  order  could  be  obeyed, 
we  found  ourselves  in  the  breakers ;  and  in  a 
few  moments  the  vessel  struck,  with  a  tremen- 
dous crash,  on  the  rocks.  It  was  nearly  high- 
water,  but  the  tide  was  on  the  ebb.  The  sea 
made  a  fair  break  over  the  vessel ;  when  seve- 
ral of  the  crew  were  washed  overboard,  and  thus 
released  from  all  the  perils  that  ensued,  by  mee- 
ting their  fate  at  once — they  sunk  to  rise  no 
more,  until  the  last  trump  which  shall  wake  the 
sleeping  dead,  shall  be  sounded  in  their  ears. 

The  tide  ebbs  on  a  part  of  this  coast  with 
great  rapidity.  For  about  one  hour  the  vessel 
remained  immovable.  Knowing  that  at  the  re- 
turn of  the  tide,  she  must  inevitably  go  to  ruin, 
our  first  concern  was  to  save  our  lives.  It  was 
dark  as  Egyptian  darkness.  Nothing  was  to  be 
heard  but  the  hideous  roaring  of  the  maddened 
wave.«»,  which  raged  with  great  fury.  w 


'/ 


m 


BUNNELL^S 


I  I 


At  daylight  the  horrors  of  our  situation  were 
redoubled — the  hideous  rocks,  which  were  high- 
er than  our  masts,  (one  of  which  was  already 
gone,)  on  one  side — on  the  other,  the  raging 
ocean.  The  tide  returning,  every  roll  of  the 
sea  came  nearer  to  us — the  storm  still  raged  with 
unabated  fury — and  no  help  at  hand — no  cheer- 
ing hope  to  dispel  the  darkening  gloom  around. 
Our  main-mast,  which  still  stood,  reached 
within  eight  or  ten  feet  of  the  rocks.  One  of  the 
seamen,  at  the  imminent  risk  of  his  life,  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  the  rocks,  by  the  help  of  a 
small  line.  With  this  line  he  bawled  another  tp 
him,  but  owing  to  the  briskness  of  the  winl3,  he 
could  not  get  a  line  large  enough  to  bear  the 
weight  of  a  grown  person.  I  being  very  light,  si 
rope  was  lashed  about  my  waist,  which  was  sus- 
pended from  the  second  line,  and  drawn  by  the 
smaller  one,  by  which  means  I  reached  the 
racks  in  safety.  We  now  succeeded  in  getting 
another  line  on  shore.  Having  made  this  fast 
to  the  rocks,  it  was  tightened  by  those  on  board, 
and  to  it  attached  a  bowliney  in  which  a  person 
could  sit  and  be  draivn  to  the  shore.  In  this 
way  we  succeeded  in  getting  two  more  men  on 
shore.  This  bowline  was  so  fixed  as  to  be  drawn 
back  and  forward,  alternately,  by  those  on  board 
and  those  on  shore.  The  ship  seemed  everv 
moment  on  the  point  of  going  to  pieces,  and 
just  as  one  lady,  and  two  gentlemen  passengers 
liad  reached  the  shore,,  by  the  help  of  our  bow- 
line, the  mast,  owing  to  the  motion  of  the  vessel, 
and  the  great  weight  that  was  upon  it — all  hands 
endeavoring  to  climb  it — there  being  no  other 
possiMu  way  itf  escaping  from  the  grim  mon- 


TRAVELS. 


31 


8ter,  death — (vXif  with  a  dreadful  crash — ^break- 
ing in  pieces,  and  precipitating  every  soul  that 
was  upon  it,  not  only  into  the  billows,  but  into 
eternity. 

Tliere  were  only  seven  saved  out  of  the  whole 
crew,  viz : — Three  seamen,  besides  myself— one 
lady  and  two  gentlemen  passengers.  Not  a 
(tingle  soul  of  those  that  were  on  board  at  the 
time  the  mast  fell  was  saved.  ^ 

Tliis  was  truly  a  dreadful  sight  to  behold. — 
Reflection  still  lingers  back  upon  that  shocking 
.scene.  It  is  at  this  moment,  although  twenty- 
two  years  have  interwoven  it  with  other  heart- 
rending scenes,  so  chilling  to  my  bosom,  that  I 
feel  myself  inadequate  to  give  it  a  proper  de- 
scription. 

Our  situation,  though  rescued  from  the  ocean's 
gaping  jaws,  was  still  a  perilous  one — benumbed 
with  cold — drenched  with  rain,  and  suffering 
with  hunger.  Taking  into  consideration  these 
hardships  and  privations,  and  having  our  minds 
wrought  up  to  the  very  acme  of  tragic  feelings, 
by  the  catastrophe  before  us,  we  felt  almost  in- 
clined to  envy  our  fellows,  who  had  just  passed 
off  the  stage  of  existence,  and  were  slumbering 
with  the  dead,  free  from  care  and  toil.  But  life 
is  sweet,  and  there  was  still  a  lingering  hope  in 
our  emaciated  bosoms,  that  we  should  be  per- 
mitted once  more,  to  visit  our  beloved  country ; 
and  shed  a  tear  of  congratulation  upon  the  bo- 
soms of  our  sweet-hearts,  our  wives  and  our 
mothers. 

We  t^lambercd  up  the  rocks,  and  proceeded 
as  fast  as  our  emaciated  limbs  would  carry  us, 
to  tho  town  of  Kingsale,  about  eight  miles  dir 


St 


BUNNELL'S 


tant,  where  we  arrived  about  S  o' clock  in  the 
afternoon.  I'he  people  received  uh,  as  I  thought, 
with  very  cool  hospitality ;  though  nunihcrs  viH> 
ited  us  to  inquire  concerning  our  shipwreck. 

We  heard  about  sundown  thnt  the  vessel  had 
gone  to  pieces,  and  that  there  was  nothing  sa- 
ved on  board  of  her. 

The  lady  and  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  w^re 
tiaved  from  the  wreck,  were  persons  of  afllu- 
ence,  and  resided  in  I^ondon  ;  they  had  lost  n 
great  deal  of  property  by  the  wreck.  Th^y 
procured  a  passage  for  themselves,  one  of  my 
shipmates  and  myself,  to  fiiverpool.  The  othf r 
two  seamen  were  Irishmen.  Wc  arrived  in  Liv- 
erpool after  a  short  and  pleasant  passai^e,  and 
communicated  io  the  owners  of  the  vessel  tl»e 
melancholy  tidings  of  our  misfortune. 

On  parting  with  these  passengers,  the  lady 
made  me  a  present  of  live  pounds  sterling,  as  a 
reward  for  my  intrepid  exertions  in  rescuing  her 
from  a  watery  grave.  This  was  very  accepta- 
ble, as  I  was  worse  off  at  this  time  than  when  1 
first  left  my  beloved  country,  and  ran  away  from 
my  old  master,  the  stone  cutter.  The  mer- 
chants also  made  me  presents  of  considerable 
value,  which  placed  mc  in  better  circumstances 
than  I  should  have  been  had  our  ship  arrived 
«afe  in  her  destined  harbor. 


4: 


TRAVBL0. 

CHAPTER  VI. 


^3 


Itook  a  boarding-house  in  Dcnison-fitreet,  and 
over  a  good  bowl  of  punch  and  other  refresh- 
ments, soon  recovered  from  the  fatigue  of  my 
late  disasters. 

1  soon  found,  however,  that  I  was  not  altogeth- 
er safe  even  here.  I  was  in  danger  of  being 
pressed  into  his  Majesty's  service.  There  were 
four  others  boarding  at  the  same  house,  all  in 
the  same  predicament.  They  dared  not  go  out 
of  doors  for  fear  of  the  press-gang.  What  a 
country,  where  their  own  people,  without  com- 
mitting any  crime,  are  subject  to  be  torn  from 
all  connexions,  and  dragged  on  board  a  man  of 
war! 

[  was  determined  to  view  the  town  by  some 
means  or  other  ;  so  1  purchased  me  a  complete 
suit  of  female  apparel,  in  which  I  dressed  my- 
st;lf.  I  rambled  from  one  end  of  the  town  to 
the  other,  unmolested,  sometimes  accompanied 
by  my  landlady,  and  sometimes  alone.  We  had 
formed  a  plan  of  retreat,  in  case  the  press-gang 
i^hould  come  upon  us  in  the  night.  Our  board- 
ing house  stood  at  the  back  part  of  the  town,  so 
that  the  outer  wall  of  the  garden  stood  at  the 
edge  of  the  fields.  By  going  out  through  the 
scuttle-holc,  and  descending  to  the  roof  of  the 
kitchen — thence  to  the  garden  wall,  and  over 
into  the  fields — we  could  elude  pursuit. 

It  was  not  long  before  we  were  obliged  to  put 
our  plan  into  execution.  By  some  means  the 
gang  had  got  information  of  us.  One  night  we 
had  not  long  been-  in  bed,  when  we  were  awa- 
kened by  the  landlady,  who  told  us  the  gang 


34 


BUNNELL^g 


'1 


were  at  the  door.  My  companions  all  sprang 
out  of  bed  in  an  instant,  and  hastened  to  effect 
their  escape.  I  scampered  after  them  as  expe- 
ditiously as  possible  without  any  thing  on  but 
my  shirt.  1  always  took  care  to  wear  that  un- 
der my  female  dress.  We  proceeded  to  the 
roof  of  the  house  in  the  utmost  confusion — 
like  so  many  rat.^  just  routed  from  some  far- 
mers corn-crib,  chased  by  half  a  dozen  dogs. — 
We  however  were  not  pursued  by  American 
Dogs,  but  by  English  Blood  Hoimds.  My  four 
companions  descended  with  tiie  agility  of 
squirrels,  from  one  roof  to  another,  and  were 
soon  in  the  fields.  I  was  afraid  to  leap  from 
the  roof  of  the  house  on  to  the  kitchen,  the  dis- 
tance being  so  great.  But  a  thought  suggested 
to  me  in  a  moment  what  to  do.  1  scampered 
from  one  roof  to  another  until  I  heard  one  of 
the  gang  exclaim,  "  this  is  the  way."  The  light 
from  their  lantern  which  shown  upon  the  roof, 
discovered  to  me  the  only  w  ay  for  my  escape. — 
I  kept  in  the  shadow  of  a  stack  of  chimneys, 
and  ran  as  fast  as  I  could,  from  house  to  house 
until  the  light  disappeared ;  I  then  stopped  to 
take  breath. 

This  was  on  one  of  those  cold  autumnal 
nights,  so  frequent  in  EnglayiJ.  There  was  a 
cold  drizzling  rain,  and  by  diat  of  turning  round 
two  or  three  times  I  could  net  tell  which  way  I 
had  come.  All  was  total  daikness,  and  I  was 
wet  to  the  skin — my  teeth  produced  a  quick 
chattering  tune,  without  any  rule  or  regulation, 
hut  seemed  to  keep  exact  time  with  the  shudder- 
ing fever  and  ague  like  feeling  that  ran  like 
electricity  through  my  whole  frame^ 


TRAVELfll 


What  to  do  in  this  dilemma,  1  was  for  some 
time  at  a  loss.  To  remain  in  this  situation  till  mor- 
ning,  I   could  not  bear  the  thoughts  of.     To 
shout  for  assistance  would   finish  the  business 
for  me    at   once.     I   therefore  determined  to 
raise  the  scuttle  of  the  house  on  which  the  light 
of  the  lantern  of  my   pursuers  left  nie,  and  de- 
scend into  the  garret  and  there  remain   until 
morning.     I  did  so.     I  rambled  round  for  some 
time,  in  ordor  to  find  something  that  would  an- 
swer me  for  a  bed,  or  some  old  clothes  to   wrap 
myself  up  in,  as  I  was  almost  chilled  through  by 
standing  in  the  cold  rain.     The  first  thing  I  got 
into  was  a  pile  of  feathers ;  and  stepping  back 
to  extricate  myself  from  tiiem,  I  fell  headlong 
down  stairs.     In  falling  I  burst  open  a  door,  im- 
mediately at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  which  let  me 
into  a  room  where  I  was  discovered  by  an  elder- 
ly looking  lady  who  was  in  the  act  of  going  to 
bed. 

At  the  sight  of  such  an  apparition  as  myself— 
more  dreadful  than  the  ghost  in  Hamlet — my 
frightful  appearance  greatly  heightened  by  thc- 
feathers  which  adhered  to  me  in  every  direction, 
owing  to  my  shirt  being  wet  through  with  rain — 
at  such  an  hour  of  the  night,  and  coming  from 
such  a  quarter,  you  need  not  wonder,  that  she 
screamed  and  fainted — for  from  my  appearance 
she  could  not  possibly  tell  whether  I  was  a 
ghost  of  the  feathered  race  or  of  some  human 
being. 

Her  fainting  was  a  lucky  circumstance  for 
me,  for  it  gave  me  a  little  time  for  cogitation. — 
Often  having  heard  that  the  female  bosom  was 
prone  to  pity,  and  fearing  that  should  she  again 

3* 


56 


BI7NIfELL*8 


(  ! 


scream,  it  might  alarm  the  family,  and  that 
they  would  not  all  treat  me  as  a  ghost — 1 
stepped  into  the  room,  and  seeing  a  bowl  of 
water  stand  on  a  table,  1  ran  for  it,  and  sprink- 
led some  in  her  face,  which  immediately  revived 
her.  As  soon  as  she  could  articulate,  she  ex- 
claimed, in  a  faultering  voice,  "  Where  am  H'* 
Be  calm  my  good  lady,  said  I,  you  are  not  in  the 
hands  of  a  ghost,  nor  hob-goblin.  "  Who  are 
you  ?"  she  ejaculated.  My  boyish  appearance, 
probably  was  the  means  of  calming  her  fears. — 
I  am  a  poor  boy,  said  I,  almost  perished  with 
cold ;  and  if  you  will  have  a  little  patience,  I 
win  inform  you  how  I  came  so  abruptly  into  your 
presence,  at  this  late  hour  of  the  night.  "  Stop 
a  moment  you  poor  little  soul,"  said  she.  "  I  see 
you  are  young  and  innocent,  and  almost  famish- 
ed with  the  cold,  and  that  I  had  no  occasion  to 
be  so  much  frightened  at  your  appearance." 

She  then  left  the  room ;  but  soon  returned, 
bringing  with  her  some  brandy,  and  a  coat. — 
The  coat  she  bade  me  put  on.  It  being  an  un- 
commonly large  one,  I  now  appeared  ten  times 
more  frightful,  if  possible,  than  ever.  One  of 
the  sleeves  would  have  made  me  a  pair  of  pan- 
taloons. I  took  some  of  the  brandy,  vvhicli 
greatly  revived  me,  and  related  to  the  old  lady 
what  I  have  already  rehearsed  to  the  reader.— 
She  laughed  heartily  at  this  nocturnal  ramble, 
which  she  said  put  her  in  mind  of  **The  Devil 
on  two  Sticks."  She  said  she  knew  my  land- 
lady, and  if  I  would  wait  a  few  moments,  she 
would  go  and  inform  her  of  my  situation;  which 
proposal  I  accepted.  She  left  the  room,  and 
was  absent  a  few  moments,  when  she  returned 


TXAVBLa.  illr' 

accompanied  by  my  landlady.  They  both  hear- 
tily laughed  at  my  singular  appearance — took  a 
social  glass  of  brandy  *'  to  prevent  taking  cold," 
and  bidding  the  old  lady  ''  good  night,''  I  ac- 
companied my  landlady  to  my  boarding-house, 
which  was  eleven  doors  distant. 

Do  not  be  surprised  at  my  having  told  you 
that  the  ladies  both  drank  a  social  glass  of  bran- 
dy, for  there  are  not  as  many  "cold  water  wo- 
men^'  in  that  country  as  there  are  in  this. 

The  rest  of  my  companions  returned  the  next 
day,  and  shortly  after  got  on  board  a  vessel  and 
went  to  sea.  One  of  them  I  have  met  with  since, 
in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  I  had  not  spent  my  mo- 
ney quite  as  prodigally  as  they  had,  and  could 
consequently  remain  on  shore  a  few  days  lon- 
ger. I  had  two  complete  suits  of  female  cloth- 
ing. I  never  dressed  in  any  other  during  my 
stay  there. 


i>' 


CHAPTER  VII. 


■'\ 


At  last  my  money  was  reduced  to  a  mere  "  fip- 
penny  bit,"  and  it  became  necessary  for  roe  to 
look  out  for  a  ship.  This  is  done,  generally,  by 
our  landlord,  or  landlady.  We  receive,  by  note, 
one  month's  pay  in  advance.  This  note  is  giv- 
en to  our  landlord  or  landlady,  payable  three 
days  after  the  ship  sails.  And  such  things  as 
we  want  to  take  with  usy  they  purchase,  to  the 
apparent  amount  of  the  month's  advance.  They 
always  calculate  on  cheating  us  out  of  half,  u 


h\f. 


^ 


BUNVSLf'S 


not  two-thirds,  and  sometimes,  by  getting  us  "car- 
wee?,"  the  whole. 

My  landlady  was  not  long  in  procuring  a  ship 
for  me,  being  very  expert  in  this  business,  as 
well  as  all  the  other  qualifications,  so  necessary 
to  form  the  character  of  a  Liverpool  landlady. 
And  poor  sailors  must  pay  for  it — which  veri- 
fies the  old  proverb — "  Sailors  earn  their  money 
like  horses,  and  spend  it  like  asses."  The  ship 
she  had  procured  for  me,  was  the  Montezuma, 
Capt.  Smith,  of  Liverpool,  bound  for  Parimari- 
bo,  on  the  coast  of  Surinam.  My  pay  amoun- 
ted to  three  pounds  ten  shillings  per  month ;  and 
all  I  received  for  my  advance  payment,  was  my 
out-fit,  which  consisted  of  the  following  arti- 
cles: — 

One  small  chest,  worth 

One  pea  jacket, 


u 


One  spoon. 
One  knife. 
Two  red  shirts, 
One  tea-pot. 
Half  pound  of  tea, 
Four    do.    Sugar, 


n 


ii 


£0 

4s 

6^ 

0 

7 

3 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

(i 

0 

7 

0 

0 

1 

4) 

0 

3 

0 

0 

2 

0 

"/  Sum  total,  16    6 

This  my  landlady  said  was  an  elegant  out- 
fit for  a  boy  like  me,  and  amounted  to  full  my 
month's  pay.  I  was  content,  not  being  exactly, 
as  the  vulgar  phrase  is,  "  up  to  the  riggs."  Nei- 
ther did  I  know  how  much  she  had  given  me, 
until  we  put  to  sea,  when  some  of  the  older  sai- 
lors summed  up  the  amount  as  above  stated. 

I  took  with  me  my  female  clothing,  wig,  bon- 
net, etc.  thinking  that  at  some  future  day,  and 


TRAVELS. 


39 


g  US  "car- 


\>  _ 


ing  a  ship 
liness,  as 
necessary 
landlady, 
hich  veri- 
;ir  money 
The  ship 
»ntezunia, 
Parimari- 
y  amoun- 
nth;  and 
,  was  my 
ring   arti- 

4s  6d 

7  3 

0  3 

0  6 
7  0 

1  4) 
3  0 

2  0 

5    6 

?ant  out- 
full  my 
exactly, 
*     Nei- 

ven  me, 

der  sai- 
led, 
ig,  bon- 

lay,  and 


?) 


on  a  similar  occasion,  they  might  again  come  in 
play.  And  so  it  happened  as  will  be  seen  here- 
after. >'  ,  :    ! 

We  put  to  sea.  Nothing  remarkable  happen- 
ed, except  that  one  of  our  crew  jumped  over- 
board, being  crazy  with  what  the  sailors  call  the 
"horrors,"  which  is  brought  on  by  a  long  course 
of  excessive  intemperance.  The  ship  was  un- 
der such  headway,  that  it  was  impossible  for  us 
to  save  him.  '  '  ^ 

This  disorder  I  have  witnessed  in  more  th^n 
a  hundred  instances.  After  a  sailor  has  been  a 
lojig  voyage — deprived  of  every  social  enjoy- 
j*;*?;  "or  fined  to  a  small  place — moving  only 
i«  tfjc  sphtre  of  the  ship — very  often  being  one 
or  more  years  without  putting  foot  upon  land — 
suffering  every  privation — such  as  want  of  wa- 
ter, provisions,  sleep,  &c. — the  moment  they 
land,  their  voyage  is  over — their  dangers  past 
and  soon  forgotten.  They  are  like  a  wild  bird 
liberated  from  its  cage ;  their  money  flies  like 
chaff  before  the  wind — their  landlords  consult 
their  own  interest  by  keeping  them  intoxicated, 
as  it  is  easier  In  cheat  them,  which  they  seldom 
fail  to  do.  i  V!,en  their  money  is  gone,  they  have 
no  other  roccJi  ^e  but  the  sea.  Here  they  are 
at  once  v  ef  *'Vv'l  of  liquor,  more  than  their  reg- 
ular rations.  The  "horrors'  ensue,  which  of- 
ten, aa  i  have  Sc  id  before,  produce  fatal  effects 
— so  dreadful  is  this  overpowering  habit  of  the 
sea-faring  life. 

We  had  a  favorable  passage  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Surinam.  The  mate  taking  a  great  fancy  to 
me,  took  considerable  pains  to  instil  into  my 
mind  ^''t  necessity  of  learning  navigation,  if  I 


40 


BUNPrEl.L'f 


I' 


intended  to  follow  the  sea  for  life,  and  labored 
with  much  interest  to  teach  it  me. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  river  Surinam,  we  were 
boarded  by  his  Majesty's  brig  of  war  Surinam, 
ft  was  then  customary  for  them  to  board  all 
merchant  vessels,  and  take  off  such  men  as  they 
thought  proper.  They  took  four  from  our  ship. 
My  telling  them  I  was  an  American,  was  of  no 
avail,  but  owing  to  my  youth,  and  not  having 
been  long  at  sea,  they  concluded  to  let  me  go. 

We  proceeded  up  the  river  to  Parimaribo,  a 
place  under  th  ^  irernment  of  the  Dutch.-^ 
They  have  a  great.  iber  of  slaves  here,  who 
are  treated  with  mucii  severity  and  cruelty.  I 
saw  a  poor  black  girl  aged  about  seventeen  lit- 
erally drawn  into  quarters  by  horses,  merely  for 
raising  her  hand  to  ward  off  a  blow  aimed  at  her 
by  her  mistress.  There  are  some  free  blacks, 
who,  by  their  industry,  have  amassed  great 
fortunes.  But  these  blacks,  however  rich,  dare 
not  wear  a  shoe.  I  have  seen  them  wear  silk 
stockings  with  a  piece  of  buckskin  sewed  on  the 
bottom. 

The  face  of  the  country  is  low  and  marshy — 
the  climate  hot  and  sultry.  There  was  not  a 
day  during  my  stay  there,  but  what  it  rained  at 
intervals.  This  renders  the  country  very  un- 
healthy, especially  to  foreigners.*  There  is 
scarcely  a  vei^sel  that  remains  here  any  lengtll 
of  time,  but  what  loses  more  or  less  of  its  crew. 
We  lost  during  our  stay,  every  man  except  the 
captain,  mcAv),  steward,  cook  and  myself.  I 
thought  death  hv  i  declared  war  with  the  whole 
crew,  with  a  vengeance^  and  would  call  upon 
me  very  soon  if  I  remained  there ;  1  therevmre 


I 


TRAVELS. 


41 


concluded  it  T?as  best  for  me  to  be  off  as  soon  as 
possible.  Always  having  got  off  clear,  as  yet, 
I  thought  I  could  run  away  just  when  I  pleased, 
with  impunity. 

While  on  shore  one  Sunday,  I  met  with  a 
colored  man  who  was  steward  of  a  brig  belong- 
ing to  London.  He  told  me  that  his  captain 
wanted  a  young  lad  like  me.  I  saw  the  captain, 
and  agreed  to  sail  with  him.  But  a  difficulty 
arose :  The  government  punished  with  a  severe 
fine  every  captain  found  guilty  of  enticing  away 
any  of  the  crew  belonging  to  another  vessel. — 
Therefore  it  would  not  answer  for  me  to  be  seen 
on  shore.  But  this  difficulty  was  soon  obvia- 
ted. I  informed  the  captain  of  my  female  dress- 
es ;  and  he  proposed  to  take  me  to  a  house  in 
the  back  part  of  the  town,  and  pass  me  off  as 
his  wife,  until  he  was  ready  to  sail. 

I  went  after  my  dresses,  but  finding  that  both 
of  them  would  make  too  great  a  bulk,  I  took  but 
one.  I  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  get  my 
bonnet  on  shore  and  not  be  detected.  Having 
finally  got  away  without  being  discovered,  I 
made  all  speed  for  my  new  vessel,  and  by  the 
help  of  the  old  steward  I  was  soon  equipped  in 
ray  female  apparel.  Having  no  beard,  but  a 
very  beautiful  wig,  false  curls,  combs,  &c.  with 
a  bonnet  trimmed  in  the  latest  English  fashion, 
I  made,  as  the  old  steward  said,  ^'  quite  a  re- 
spectable looking  ladyJ*^  The  Captain  and  my- 
self passed  through  the  streets,  locked  arms,  in 
great  style. 

There  was  one  thing  in  my  favor  \  at  the  house 
where  I  boarded,  the  inmates  could  not  speak 
a  word  of  English — neither  could  I  speak  nor 


4£ 


BUNNELL  8 


.  < 


understand  their  langiiat^e.  I  stayed  at  this 
house  till  Wednesday — observing  the  strictest 
modesty  in  all  my  behaviour ;  but  on  the  after- 
noon of  that  day  I  came  near  being  detected. — 
A  lady  whose  husband  had  gone  to  England 
some  time  previous,  was  to  take  passage  in  the 
vessel  with  me.  She  was  an  acquaintance  of 
this  family,  and  came  to  make  them  a  parting 
visit.  The  lady  was  a  native  of  that  country, 
but  could  speak  the  English  language.  The 
hostess  informed  her  that  the  Captain's  wife 
boarded  with  them,  which  much  surprised  her. 
"  Why."  said  she,  "  he  never  told  me  that  he 
had  his  wife  with  him."  I  was  invited  into  the 
room  and  introduced  to  the  old  lady.  I  was 
much  embarrassed  by  her  addressing  me  in 
English,  as  "Mrs.  Wilson."  I  returned  her  sa- 
lute with  as  good  grace  as  I  was  capable  of  do- 
ing. After  a  little  conversation  she  invited  me 
i9  go  home  with  her,  and  stay  until  the  vessel 
sailed — she  said  she  would  be  very  glad  of  my 
company.  I  thanked  her  for  her  polite  invita- 
tion, but  declined  accepting  it — modestly  as- 
signing as  a  reason,  that  I  did  not  like  to  go 
without  my  husband's  consent.  1  asked  her  if 
she  would  have  the  goodness  to  take  a  line  to 
him.  She  replied  in  the  affirmative,  and  I  wrote 
to  the  Captain,  requesting  him  to  undeceive  the 
bearer,  for  fear  of  accidents. 

The  captain  after  receiving  my  note,  made 
known  to  the  old  lady  the  deception,  and  all 
passed  ofT  well. 

The  questions  put  tome  at  tea,  were, — "  How 
long  have  you  been  married?  Have  you  any 
children  V^ — and  many  other  such  tea-table  ques- 


TRAVELS. 


m^ 


ions  as  are  usually  bandied  about  among  a  com- 
pany of  ladies ;  all  of  which  I  answered  with  the 
greatest  degree  of  modesty  and  composure  im- 
aginable. (I  have  promised  my  readers,  to  tell 
the  truth,  but  they  will  excuse  me  if  I  do  not 
give  them  the  whole  truth  in  such  cases  as  this.) 

On  Saturday  the  Captain  came  to  take  me 
on  board.  We  sailed  about  eleven  o'clock  the 
same  day,  and  in  one  hour  were  out  of  the  riv- 
er, the  current  of  which  is  very  rapid.  We 
were,  in  company  with  a  number  of  other  ves- 
sels, under  the  convoy  of  a  man  of  war,  and 
were  to  touch  at  nearly  all  the  West  India  Isl- 
ands, for  the  purpose  of  collecting  all  vessels 
bound  for  England.  We  touched  at  Tobago, 
Grenada,  Barbadoes,  St.  Catharines,  Nevis  and 
Tortola.  The  latter  being  a  place  of  rendez- 
vous, we  stopped  there  three  or  four  days,  and 
then  sailed  for  England.  There  were  three 
hundred  and  sixty  vessels  sailed  in  company. — 
Our  passage,  owing  to  some  very  tardy  sailing 
vessels,  was  long  and  tedious. 

The  imagination  cannot  paint  a  more  beauti- 
ful sight  than  so  many  sail  of  shipping — under 
full  sail — in  a  smooth  sea — with  a  light  breeze — 
all  steering  the  same  course,  and  vieing  with 
each  other  in  velocity— Or,  on  a  clear  morning, 
to  hear  the  roosters  answer  each  other  from  ship 
to  ^ip.  Had  we  not  known  that  we  were  some 
thousand  miles  from  land,  we  might  have  easi- 
Vy  imagined  ourselves  in  the  vicinity  of  some 
wealthy  farmer's  habitation,  or  rather  some  hun- 
dreds of  them. 

Th^  lady  passenger  often  laughed  at  the  cap- 
tain about  his  wife,  and  frequently  joked  vritb 
me  ^bout  our  tea  table  talk. 


44 


BUNNBLL'8 


Our  vessel  was  a  very  finn  brig  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  tons,  and  a  fast  sailer.  My  pay 
was  ten  pounds  per  month. 

AAer  a  voyage  of  one  hundred  and  four  days  we 
arrived  in  the  much  celebrated  river  Thames, 
and  in  four  days  more  at  the  great  metropolis  of 
England.  This  has  been  so  often  described  by 
more  able  pens,  that  I  shall  not  attempt  it« 


■:i-  -^  .;^'^t' 


-■■*•''  '    '   •> 


t"'   1 


CHAPTER  Vm. 

When  I  arrived  at  London,  I  had  three  months 
pay  due  me,  and  I  resolved  to  make  use  of  it  in 
going  to  school.  My  board  was  two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  per  week.  I  now  thought  myself  of 
no  small  importance. 

I  paid  strict  attention  to  my  schooling,  and  in 
three  months  was  a  good  common  navigator.  I 
next  commenced  going  to  a  drawing  school,  but 
had  been  but  one  month,  when  I  was  obliged  to 
leave  the  place  '' between  two  days."  My  land 
Iady*s  daughter  went  before  a  magistrate  and 
made  oath  that  1  had  misused  her.  This  I  did 
not  deny.  I  knew  there  were  others  who  had 
done  likettnsey  but  they  had  long  ere  this  gone 
to  sea,  and  my  merely  knowing  the  fact  would 
not  satisfy  the  law,  and  the  only  'Way  for  mu  to 
keep  my  neck  out  of  the  halter,  was  to  elope. — 
Owing  to  the  hurry  and  confusion  of  starting;  I 
left  behind  nearly  all  my  clothes.  But  this  gave 
me  but  litde  trouble,  inasmuch  as  I  waa  clear — 
and  at  running  awaj>I  had.  become  quite  an  adept. 


flAVBLfl. 


46 


I  shipped  on  board  the  Pomona,  of  Port  GHm- 
gow,  captain  M' Naught,  bound  to  the  Island  of 
Grenada.  I  felt  in  my  glory.  I  could  please 
and  feed  my  rambling  disposition.  I  was  young, 
and  had  the  whole  world  before  me.  I  feared 
no  dangers,  nor  cared  for  any  body.  I  was  my 
own  master,  and  determined  to  remain  so. — 
Such  were  the  fleeting  ideas  of  my  youth. — 
There  would  at  times,  liowever,  in  spite  of  all 
my  boasted  happiness,  flash  across  my  mind 
thoughts  of  my  mother — my  friends,  and  my  na- 
tive country — but  the  sequel  will  inform  you 
that  I  was  like  a  young  bear — all  my  sorrows 
yet  to  come. 
We  proceeded  to  sea.  Our  passage  was  a  pros- 
perous one  until  we  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Bay  of  Biscay.  Here  we  experienced  a 
very  severe  gale — lost  all  three  of  our  top  mastt; 
— had  every  thing  washed  oft'  the  deck,  and  two 
of  our  men  drowned.  We  ri^ed  our  jury- 
masts,  and  made  oft"  as  well  as  >vc  could.  No- 
thing more  worthy  of  notice  happened  until  we 
had  more  than  half  finished  our  voyage,  when 
we  ran  afoul  of  the  wreck  of  a  brig  which  lay 
partly  under  water.  There  was  no  one  alive 
on  board  of  her.  We  discovered  a  dead  body 
lying  in  the  cabin. 

We  got  many  valuable  articles  from  her,  be- 
sides several  pipes  of  wine,  which  seemed  to  be 
her  principal  loading.  We  could  not  tell  wheth- 
er the  crew  had  all  perished,  or  a  part  taken 
to  the  boats  and  escaped. 

Each  of  the  crew  received  four  pounds  for  hie 
share  of  the  prize,  and  as  much  wine  as  he  wish- 
ed to  drink,  provided  \ie  would  not  get  intoxi« 


46 


BUNNELL^S 


cated.  And,  by  the  bye,  I  have  always  obser- 
ved, that  let  a  good  seaman  be  ever  so  great  a 
debauchee  on  land,  he  will  never  get  drunk  at 
»ca.  •      •  V 

We  arrived  in  Grenada  with  all  our  crew,  ex- 
cept the  two  above  mentioned,  discharged  our 
cargo,  and  commenced  loading  with  rum  and 
sugar. 

1  was  on  shore  one  night  on  a  kind  of  land 
cruise,  when  I  was  seized  by  a  boat's  crew  be- 
longing to  his  majesty's  brig  Grenada,  that  lay  in 
the  harbor,  and  coerced  into  his  Britanic  Ma- 
jesty's service.  »  ■      '  ;  i  >  /• 

Behold  me  now  pressed  and  dragged  like  % 
slave  on  board  a  vessel — and  that  too  belong- 
ing to  a  nation  that  dare  prostitute  the  name  of 
Liberty,  by  claiming  a  share  in  her  favors. — 
There  was  no  chance  for  appeal,  and  it  was  idle 
to  lament.  I  thought  it  best  to  make  a  virtue 
of  necessity — do  my  duty  cheerfully — gain  the 
/avor  of  my  ofiicers,  and  watch  for  an  opportu- 
nity to  give  them  the  slip.  The  sailing  master 
was^an  American,  born  in  the  state  of  Maine — 
his  name  was  Curtiss.  I  left  the  Bunnell  from 
my  name  and  called  myself  David  Curtiss,  which 
made  me  a  namesake  of  the  second  in  command ; 
accordingly  he  took  me  for  his  servant. 

Could  I  have  been  content  on  board  of  an  En- 
glish man  of  war,  I  might  here  have  enjoyed 
happiness  to  its  full  extent.  But  I  could  not, 
bear  the  idea  of  serving  that  king  who  hab  once 
put  in  force  all  his  means  to  enslave  my  coun- 
try, and  who  my  forefathers  had  shed  their 
blood  to  oppose.  I  have  often  shed  a  tear  of 
regret,  while  reflecting  upon  that  name  so  dear 


TRAVELS. 


47 


to  me — Independence— of  which  my  country 
could  boast — to  think  that  I  was  in  a  country 
when  I  did  not  dare  to  breathe  it  aloud.  This 
was  the  first  time  I  had  known  how  to  apppre< 
ciatc  its  value. 

Every  thing  went  on  well  for  awhile.  I 
courted  favor  by  my  clieerful  conduct  and  good 
behavior ;  but  it  was  entirely  feigned,  for  had  it 
been  in  my  power,  I  would  have  sacrificed  both 
vessel  and  crew,  to  have  been  released  from  this 
servitude.  But  I  was  compelled  to  wait  with 
patience  for  an  opportunity  to  grasp  the  stand- 
ard of  freedom. 

The  English  were  at  this  time  at  war  with 
tlie  French  and  Spaniards.  I  soon  became  a 
favorite  among  the  officers,  and  was  frequently 
allowed  to  go  on  shore ;  but  there  was  no  op- 
portunity presented  for  my  escape.  At  length 
we  made  a  prize  of  a  large  French  schooner, 
and  received  considerable  prize  money.  But 
what  is  money  without  freedom? 

I  had  been  on  board  about  nine  months,  when 
tlic  captain's  servant  died,  and  he  took  me  in 
his  place.  This  gave  me  greater  privileges  than 
1  had  before,  but  still  it  was  impossible  to  es- 
cape from  the  island.  About  this  time  the  cap- 
tain's wife  and  niece  arrived  from  England.  I 
was  sent  with  tliem  to  his  house,  a  short  dis- 
tance on  the  island,  as  a  servant  boy.  Here  I 
had  all  that  my  heart  could  desire  except  liber- 
ty.    •& 

The  brig  went  to  sea  in  about  one  month,  and 
left  me  on  shore.  There  was  no  white  person, 
about  the  house,  but  the  two  ladies  and  myself. 
The  niece  was  a  beautiful  girl,  about  my  own 


V  <' 


■i" 


SVNNBLL^S 


tge.  I  soon  fell,  as  I  thought,  *'  head  and  ears 
in  love"  with  her,  and  what  was  as  gratifying  as 
unexpected,  I  found  that  my  passion  was  retuni- 
ed  by  her  with  an  ardor  equal  to  my  own  ;  and 
af^er  the  usual '' billing  and  cooing,"  I  promised, 
with  the  captain^s  consent,  to  "  unite  my  for- 
tune with  hers."  Our  mutual  passions  grew 
stronger  daily,  and  at  last  bordered  on  the  ro- 
mantic. I  do  believe  she  actually  loved  me — 
but  my  love  for  her  had  become  of  a  less  genu- 
ine character.  Be  that  as  it  may,  I  had  prom- 
ised to  marry  her,  with  the  captain's  consent — 
(and  had  he  known  all  the.  circumstances',  I 
think  he  would  have  acquiesced  in  the  mutch 
without  ceremony.)  '  •      •• 

At  length  the  captain  arrivod — I  waited  for  a 
favorable  opportunity  to  *'  pop  the  question" — I 
approached  him,  and  with  a  trembling  voice, 
said,  "  Capt.  Bri-bri-brigs,  I  have  ta-taken  a 
great  fa-fa-fancy  to  your  ni-ni-niece,  and  she 
has  avowed  her  af-fec-fcctions  for  me — I  want 
to  know  if  you  will  consent  to  our  being  mar- 
married  T' 

'*  Married  !  you  damn'd  yankee  rascal !  mar- 
ried !  What  do  you  mean  !  I'll  marry  you  to  the 
devil — get  out  of  the  h'njse  in  an  instant — go  on 
board,  and  dont  you  let  me  see  yoiir  face  here 
again,  nor  on  shore,  without  my  orders — and  if 
I  ever  hear  you  mention  this  affair  again,  I  will 
take  your  hide  off.     March  !" 

A  pretty  decent  rebuilj  thought  I,  for  my  first 
matrimonial  adventure — and  withal  quite  cooling 
to  one's  sunny  hopes  of  congugal  bliss !  The 
idea  of  being  deprived  the  privilege  of  going  on 


._   _j. 


4-.i. 


TRAVELS. 


49 


«nd  eftrs 
tifying  as 
i»8  retuni- 
'wn;  and 
iroinieed, 
my  for- 
Pns  grew 
the  ro- 
ed  me — 
8S  gciiu- 
ad  f/rom- 
onsent — 
tances",   I 
»e  mutcli 

ted  for  a 
jtion"—! 
ig  voice, 
[taken  a 
and  she 
—I  want 
ng  mar- 

I !  mar- 
Mi  to  the 
— go  on 
ice  here 
—and  if 
I,  I  will 

my  first 
cooline- 
!  The 
)ing  on 


i^horc,  was  the  most  I  cared  about  it ;  for  really 

J  began  to  be  satiated  with  this  amorous  atfair. 

******** 

The  ynung  lady  Is  long  since  numbered  witli 
the  dead  ! 

I  had  no  opportunity  for  an  intercourse  with 
Eliza  ?,ftcr  1  received  the  rebuff  from  her  uncle. 
I  went  immediately  on  board  the  vessel,  and  was 
soon  made  cockswain  or  steersman  of  the  cap- 
tain's boat.  1  was  now,  (the  captain's  orders  to 
tlie  contrary  notwithstanding,)on  shore  nearly  half 
my  time,  but  was  not  allowed  to  go  to  the  house. 
I  soon  heard,  however,  that  Eliza  was  to  br. 
married  to  an  officer  of  the  navy,  by  the  name 
of  Diggins.  Her  property  was  disposed  of  iu 
such  a  manner  that  she  could  never  come  iu 
possession  of  it,  unless  married  in  accordanc*'; 

her  uncle's  wishes.     The  young  officer  being 

>dsome,  genteel,  and  possessing  quite  a  for- 
tune in  Ireland,  he  much  pleased  the  captain, 
who  gave   his   consent  for  their  nuptials. 

There  were  six  men  belonging  to  the  captain's 
boat,  besides  myself,  and  we  were  all  of  the 
same  mind  as  regarded  running  away.  We 
swore  to  be  true  to  each  other,  and  elope  the 
first  opportunity,  and  take  the  boat  with  us,  if 
wc  could  do  no  better,  though  it  was  death  to 
be  caught  running  away  with  tbe  King's  prop- 
erty. 

Sometime  passed,  and  we  had  accomplished 
nothing.  1  had  been  eighteen  months  on  board 
this  vessel  and  received  no  pay. 

One  afternoon  information  was  received  con- 
cerning some  men  belonging  to  a  merchant  ves- 
sel that  lay  in  the  port.     Our  boat's  crew,  to- 

4 


I* 


•^'*A^1«5") 


50 


BUNNELL  3 


gether  with  an  officer,  were  ordered  to  go  that 
night  and  press  them.  Now  boys,  said  I,  is  our 
time — '•^neck  or  nothing:'^  They  all  agreed  to 
it,  and  each  man  collected  what  little  money  he 
had,  and  put  it  in  a  canvass  belt,  which  he  fas- 
tened around  his  body,  under  his  clothes.  I 
was  better  off  for  the  ready  than  any  of  my  ship- 
mates, as  I  had,  previous  to  ?itarting,  helped  my- 
self io  seven  doubloons,  belonging  lo  tlie  cap- 
tain, by  way  of  indemniiying  myself  for  passt 
services. 

At  sundown — equipped  with  a  cutlass,  a  brace 
of  pistols,  and  hea(ied  by  a  lieutenant,  we  pro- 
ceeded along  the  sea-shore  to  tlie  place  wliert; 
we  expected  to  find  the  men  we  were  in  search 
of,  but  they  had  left  a  short  time  previous  to 
our  arrival. 

We  rambled  about  the  town  until  nearly  mid- 
night, when  we  w^ere  ordered  by  our  officer  to 
leturn  to  our  boat,  and  remain  until  he  could  go 
and  acquaint  the  captain  vvith  the  result  of  our 
expedition.  I  being  the  ringleader  of  the  plot 
lo  elope,  gave  the  word  to  start,  and  every  man 
obeyed.  We  travelled  along  the  beach  about 
one  mile,  then  turned  into  the  woods.  About 
half  a  mile  from  shore  we  come  to  an  old,  unin- 
iiabited  negro  hut,  which  we  took  possession  of, 
and  resolved  to  remain  there  until  an  opportu- 
nity presented  for  our  escape,  and  at  the  same 
time  entered  into  a  solemn  agreement  never  to 
be  taken  alive. 

Previous  to  starting  we  had  purchased  three 
day's  provisions,  and  feeling  confident  that  the 
brig  would  put  to  sea  within  that  time,  we  had 
slight  hopes,  of  escape.     By  going  on  the  top  of  ^ 


TRAVELS. 


m 


high  hill,  near  by,  we  could  ascertain  when  the 
brig  sailed.  Every  morning  we  took  this  obser- 
vation, until  the  third  day  had  passed,  and  the 
brig  had  not  yet  sailed.  The  fourth  day  also 
passed,  and  she  still  remained.  We  were  now 
out  of  provisions,  and  something  to  eat  we 
must  have,  but  did  not  know  how  to  procure  it. 
Wc  had  limes  and  lemons  in  great  abundance, 
but  they  would  not  satiate  the  bitter  gnawings 
of  hunger. 

One  evening,  just  after  dark,  I  started  for 
town  to  procure  some  provisions.  After  trav- 
elling a  short  time,  I  cauiC  to  an  old  negro  hut, 
where  they  kept  fried  fish  and  bread  for  sale,  (a 
commodity  always  kept  on  hand  in  this  place.) 
I  took  all  I  could  get,  which  was  not  more  than 
enough  to  last  us  one  day ;  but  I  did  not  dare  to 
venture  any  farther  into  the  town. 

I  inquired  of  the  old  negro  woman  if  there 
wa.s  any  news  1  "  No,"  said  she,  "  I  bclebe 
not.  Hal)  de  man-o'-war  got  dem  men  dat  run- 
away ?'■  I  do  not  know,  said  I,  have  they  been 
looking  for  them  i  "  O  yes,"  said  she,  '*  da  hab 
.searcli  ebery  house  and  negro  hut  in  town — 
obcrhauled  ebery  ting — offer  fifty  dollar  for  any 
•  ody  ketch  'em  ;  but  if  I  know  where  da  were, 


r 


1/ 


i  would  no'  tell  'cm, — da  be  such  bad  men." — 
'' Poor  creeters  !" — exclaimed  the  humane  old 
soul  after  a  long  pause — [she  had  long  been  un- 
der the  bondage  of  slavery,  but  after  her  mas- 
ters death,  had  her  freedom  given  her  ;  conse- 
quently she  knew  how  to  pity  us.]  "  I  wish  I 
could  help  dem  to  get  'way  from  de  place." — 
I  knew  I  could  put  ^e  most  implicit  confidence 
in  this  old  African,  but  her  husband  I  did  not 

3* 


r    52 


BUNNELL'S 


think  quite  as  safe.  I  bade  her  good  night,  and 
returned  in  safety  to  my  companions. 

My  feelings  were  much  touched  at  seeing  a 
tear  in  the  eye  of  this  unsophisticated  old  soul, 
who  once  having  felt  the  power  of  tyranny,  knew 
how  to  prize  liberty. 

My  comrades  were  much  rejoiced  at  my  re- 
turn, for  I  had  a  "  drop  of  good  stuif "  with 
me  to  cheer  up  our  spirits  while  in  this  state  of 
awful  uncertainty. 

The  next  morning  I  went  to  our  observatory, 
and  the  brig  had  not  yet  sailed.  We  knew  we 
could  not  remain  here  undiscovered  much  lon- 
ger, as  one  of  us  would  be  obliged  to  go  to  town 
every  night  to  procure  provisions.  But,  as  I 
soon  learned,  we  had  been  discovered  on  the 
evening  previous,  and  to  surrender  coolly,  we 
thought  would  be  worse  than  to  stand  our 
ground ;  and  knowing  the  captain's  inveterate 
temper,  we  concluded  it  would  be  certain  death 
to  go  back — to  look  forward  every  thing  ap- 
peared gloomy — and  to  stay  where  we  Avere, 
seemed  almost  impossible ;  still  we  resolved  to 
try  it,  and  let  the  old  negro  woman  into  our  se- 
cret, thinking  that  she  would,  by  being  well  paid, 
furnish  us  with  provisions.  It  was  thought  best 
for  me  to  go  and  make  known  to  her  our  reso- 
lution, as  I  had  previously  been  there.  Accor- 
dingly, just  after  dark,  I  started  and  travelled 
slowly  along  the  beach,  reflecting  on  my  past 
misfortunes,  and  present  situation,  and  musing 
upon  what  fortune  might  yet  have  in  store  for 
me.  I  had  a  plenty  of  money,  but  like  the  fool 
who  horded  his  store,  was  starving  in  the  midst 
of  abundance.     I  was  at  this  instant   aroused 


TRAVELS. 


from  my  melancholy  train  of  reflections,  by  a 
female  voice: — "David,  is  that  you?"  I  star- 
ted in  great  surprise  at  this  unexpected  saluta- 
tion, and  felt  for  my  pistol.  I  knew  the  voice, 
but  feared  that  she  had  some  male  compan- 
ion with  her ;  my  fears,  however,  were  soon 
vanished,  and  my  surprise  turned  into  rejoicing, 
by  the  appearance  of  Eliza,  with  no  other  com- 
pany than  her  mulatto  girl.  [This  was  the  first 
time  I  had  seen  her  since  her  uncle  bid  me  leave 
iiis  house  and  never  again  to  enter  it.]  "Do 
not  be  alarmed  David,"  said  she,  on  approach- 
ing me,  "  tbere  is  no  one  here  but  your  friends. 
()  how  I  pity  you — persecuted  and  unbefrien- 
ded  as  you  are — In  what  way  can  I  assist  you  ? 
My  uncle  has  sworn  vengeance  against  you,  and 
f»ays  you  are  very  ungrateful,  after  all  the  con- 
fidence he  has  placed  in  you,  to  treat  him  with 
such  contempt." 

My  dear  young  lady,  said  I,  it  is  true  your  un- 
cle has  placed  confidence  in  me ;  but  you  mu 
consider  that  I  was  born  under  the  flag  of  Free- 
dom and  Independence,  and  that  he  had  no  bu- 
siness at  all  with  me  ;  and  it  was  a  duty  I  owed 
the  blood  my  forefathers  shed,  to  treat  with  con- 
tempt any  villain  who  dare  enslave  a  free-born 
son  of  America,  and  it  will  cost  lives  to  take  us ; 
but  I  know  your  gentle  nature  so  well,  that  I 
can  repose  the  most  implicit  confidence  in  what 
you  say.  I  told  her  that  she  could  assist  us 
more  in  procuring  provisions  for  us,  than  in  any 
other  way,  and  s!ie  immediately  sent  her  black 
girl  after  a  supply 

I  was  now  alone  with  Eliza,  and  you  need  not 
wonder  if       *        *        #        * but  mum. 


34 


BUNNELL  « 


She  told  me  that  she  was  to  be  married  in  about 
three  weeks,  to  the  said  Digging,  and  that  her 
uncle  had  sworn  that  he  would  not  go  to  sea  un- 
til he  had  ferreted  me  out,  and  that  every  search 
was  now  making  for  my  apprehension.  She 
said  it  was  expected  that  we  had  gone  towards 
Point  Salune ;  but  fortunately  for  us  we  were 
exactly  in  the  opposite  direction. 

1  told  Eliza  that  if  I  had  a  female  dress,  it 
would  be  of  great  service  to  me.  "  That  1  can 
accommodate  you  with,"  said  she,  "  for  I  came 
down  w^ith  my  maid  for  the  purpose  of  bathing, 
and  brought  an  extra  dress  along."  We  were 
now.  interrupted  by  the  return  of  her  servant 
maid,  with  supplies,  and  were  obliged  to  sepa- 
rate. She  sighed  adieu — which  came  from  an 
innocent  and  unsuspecting  bosom.  I  kissed  the 
tears  wTiich  gently  trickled  down  her  fair  cheek 
— took  the  dress  and  provisions,  and  repaired 
to  my  companions.  How  happy  are  the  mo- 
ments spent  in  such  company,  especially  when 
surrounded  with  dangers ! 

I  related  to  my  comrades  the  above  circum- 
stances, and  we  held  a  consultation  upon  what 
was  to  be  done.  Our  deliberations  were  soon 
suspended,  or  changed  into  quick  determination, 
by  the  arrival  of  Eliza's  maid,  (the  next  day 
about  sundown,)  bringing  the  following  note, 
which  she  delivered  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  and 
nearly  out  of  breath  : — 

"  Dear  Bunnell — I  have  but  a  moment's 
time  to  inform  you  of  your  danger.  Fly — do 
not  lose  a  moment — you  are  betrayed  by  a  Ju- 
das. The  villain  whom  the  maid  purchased  tlie 
provisions  of,  mistrusted  what  they  were  for, 


TRAVELS. 


56 


and  watched  her,  and  after  we  parted,  he  track- 
ed you ;  and  has  made  known  to  my  uncle  the 
place  of  your  retreat,  and  he  intends  to  take 
you  this  evening,  while  you  sleep.  I  am  sus- 
pected of  being  accessary  to  your  concealment, 
but  I  cannot  tell  what  the  consequences  will  be. 
Do  not  be  alarmed  for  me — save  yoarself — 
adieu.  That  you  may  escape,  is  the  sincercst 
wish  of  my  heart. 

"ELIZA  BERTON." 

I  felt  the  greaie£;t  gratitude  towards  Eliza  for 
this  kind  warning,  and  immediately  put  on  tlie 
dress  she  gave  me,  in  order  to  be  ready  for  a 
start  at  any  moment.  We  were  for  some  time 
at  a  stand  whether  to  separate  and  take  to  the 
woods  or  stand  the  test.  To  run  would  be 
certain  death,  for  we  had  no  place  to  go,  and 
to  stand,  could  result  in  nothing  worse.  We 
concluded  to  remain  ;  and  took  our  position  as 
follows : — Six  stationed  at  the  door,  and  I  stood 
near  a  window  which  was  just  large  enough  to 
admit  a  man — thus  situated  we  awaited  the  ap- 
}»roach  of  the  enemy.  One  thing  was  greatly  to 
our  disadvantage — we  had  no  ammunition  except 
what  was  in  our  pistols,  and  our  cutlasses  were 
very  poor;  but  we  were  all  firm  in  the  same 
determination  that  Leonidas  and  his  brave  Spar- 
tan band  were  at  the  pass  of  Thermopylae— rcvery 
one  ieeling  himself  a  hero. 

We  had  not  remained  long  in  this  state  of  sus- 
pense before  we  heard  voices  approaching,  and 
the  moon  shining  very  bright,  we  could  discov- 
er through  a  crack  in  the  door,  a  number  of 
black   soldiers.      The  door  had  no  other  fast- 


V/ 


56 


Bunnell's 


ening  than  a  jack-knife  over  the  latch.  Ther 
»oon  came  up,  knocked,  and  demanded  admit- 
tance in  the  king's  name,  at  the  same  time  tel- 
ling us,  that  if  we  would  surrender  peaceably, 
Tve  would  be  forgiven ;  but  this  we  knew  was 
only  a  decoy,  and  told  them  in  reply  that  the 
first  one  who  entered  would  be  a  dead  man. — 
"  Tli^n,"  said  the  officer  without,  "  I  must  or- 
der my  men  to  fire  upon  you."  No  answer. — 
For  a  moment  all  was  silent  as  death — then  the 
word  "  fire,"  was  given — and  no  sooner  said  than 
done — and  the  balls  penetrated  through  our  fee- 
ble fortification  in  every  direction.  One  of  my 
companions  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  I  had 
no  time  to  examine  his  wounds,  nor  remove  him, 
but  was  obliged  to  let  him  lay  and  welter  in  his 
own  blood,  and  be  trodden  under  foot  by  the 
l)lack  soldiers.  After  the  first  fire,  they  burst 
open  the  door — I  heard  pistols  and  the  clashing 
of  cutlasses,  and  then  my  attention  was  arrested 
by  the  appearance  of  a  man  making  towards  my 
station — I  discharged  my  pistol  at  his  head — he 
tell — and  I  jumped  out  of  the  window,  knowing 
that  I  could  be  of  no  more  benefit  to  my  compan- 
ions, who  yet  remained  in  the  hut.  Having  no 
more  ammunition,  I  threw  my  pistol  down  and  ran 
with  all  possible  speed  towards  the  tov^n,  and 
passed  immediately  through  it. 

This  place  is  situated  partly  on  a  hill,  exten- 
ding each  way  to  the  warter.  The  side  which 
we  were  on  was  called  the  bay — ^no  vessels  lay 
here  except  those  that  anchored  off  some  dis- 
tance from  the  shore.  The  other  side  is  called 
the  harbor,  where  there  are  wharves  built  for 
merchant  vc6sels,and  I  knew  that  there  was  one 


TRAVELS. 


m 


r 


or  two  in  at  this  time,  and  I  was  determined  ta 
go  there,  and  inform  them  who  1  was,  and  throw 
myself  upon  their  protection;  but  I  knew  if 
they  did  not  assist  me,  that  I  was  undone  in  ear- 
nest. 

While  on  my  way  I  passed  two  of  our  officers 
in  the  street,  and  actually  heard  them  mention 
my  name — my  heart  beat  quick — my  steps  were 
short  and  hasty — I  thought  they  knew  me,  but  I 
was  soon  relieved  of  my  fears  by  hearing  one  of 
them  salute  me  as  I  passed,  "  good  evening  my 
dear ;"  but,  being  a  very  modest  womaUj  I  made 
no  reply,  but  proceeded  with  all  possible  dilli- 
gence  for  the  harbor,  where  I  found  along  side 
the  wharf  an  American  Schooner,  which  leaked 
very  bad,  and  the  crew  were  obliged  to  pump 
day  and  night  until  they  could  heave  her  down, 
and  were  at  work  when  I  arrived,  about  one  o'- 
clock in  the  morning.  They  were  very  much 
surprised  to  see  a  nUiite  woman  come  on  board 
at  that  hour  of  the  night,  in  a  country  where  they 
were  so  scarce,  but  I  made  no  delay  in  informing 
them  of  my  situation.  They  all  seemed  to  pity 
me,  but  said  it  would  be  several  weeks  before 
they  would  be  able  to  sail,  and  that  it  was  im- 
])ossible  for  them  to  conceal  me.  "  But,"  said 
the  captain,  '*  there  is  a  vessel  lying  off  at  anchor 
that  is  to  sail  to-morrow%  and  if  you  will  wait 
a  few  minutes,  I  will  let  one  of  my  men  set  you 
on  board  of  her,  and  1  have  not  the  least  doubt 
but  that  the  captain  will  give  you  a  passage  to 
yoir  own  country."  I  waited  with  great  anxi- 
ety, expecting  every  moment  that  my  pursuers 
woTJid  come  on  board  to  search  for  me.  I  drank 
a  sna'AX  glass  of  spirits,  and  ate  a  little  bread 
as  J  beof  which  much  revived  me. 


BUNNELI/S 


'  At  length  the  boat  was  ready,  and  I  got  in 
with  one  of  the  crew,  and  we  were  soon  alonj^ 
side  the  ship  Perseverance,  of  Wilmington,  N. 
C.  The  Captain  was  not  on  board,  but  I  made 
my  situation  known  to  the  mate,  and  he  proved 
to  be  a  friend  indeed.  He  was  from  Connecti- 
cut, the  state  of  my  nativity,  and  was  acquain- 
ted with  some  of  my  connexions.  "The  dam'd 
English  rascals,"  said  he,  *'  shall  not  get  you 
again." 

I  went  forward  among  the  crew,  and  one  of 
them  gave  me  an  old  flannel  shirt,  another  a  pair 
of  pantaloons,  the  third  a  hat^  and  1  was  soon 
metamorphosed  from  a  lady  to  a  sailor.  My 
reflections  during  the  night  were  such  as  natu- 
rally arise  from  a  consciousness  of  having  done 
right. 

The  Captain  told  me  in  the  morning  that  the 
vessel  would  no  doubt  be  strictly  searched,  and 
ordered  the  steward  to  find  some  place  where  I 
could  be  secreted,  if  necessary.  He  being  a  ve- 
ry sagacious  'old  negro,  soon  found  a  hiding 
place,  (and  it  like  to  have  hid  me  forever  from 
the  gaze  of  this  world.)  It  was  a  meat  cask, 
made  of  staves,  in  the  shape  of  a  churn,  though 
not  as  high  in  proportion,  and  strongly  hooped 
with  iron,  with  a  tight  lid,  fastened  on  one  side 
by  a  hinge,  and  on  the  other  with  a  padlock :  If 
the  officers  should  come  on  board  to  search  for 
me,  I  was  lo  be  salted  dovm  in  this  cask.  We 
soon  got  under  way,  and  proceeded  out  of  the 
channel ;  but  as  soon  as  discovered  by  the  offi- 
cers of  the  brig,  they  despatched  two  boats  af- 
ter us,  and  fired  a  gun  to  bring  us  to. 

The  old  steward  now  came  running  down  to 


<*! 


TRAVELS. 


59 


^^ 


wn  to 


consign  me  to  my  place  of  concealment,  which 
was  almost  equal  to  burying  me  alive.  I  got  in- 
fo the  cask,  however,  and  he  locked  it  up. — 
The  torments  of  hell  cannot  exceed  what  1  en- 
dured, although  they  may  be  of  longer  duration. 
I  had  a  troublesome  humor,  occasioned  by  the 
iieat,  which  is  very  oppressive  in  these  latitudes, 
and  indeed  almost  every  stranger  is  subject  to  it. 
The  cask  was  about  one  quarter  full  of  brine, 
and  there  was  one  piece  of  beef  in  it,  whicli  an- 
swered me  for  a  seat,  but  the  smart  was  so  in- 
tolerable that  I  could  hardly  refrain  from  screa- 
ming aloud,  though  that  I  knew  would  not  an- 
swer, as  it  would  have  thrown  all  the  "  fat  into 
the  fire"  at  once. 

The  officers  came  on  board,  and  I  heard  them 
search  all  around  me,  anil  I  thought  if  I  was  com- 
pelled to  remain  many  minutes  longer,  that  I 
should  certainly  be  suff  ated,  but  I  was  deter- 
mined to  die  rather  thau  make  any  noise.  Ev- 
ery moment  I  felt  the  difficulty  to  breathe  in- 
crease, and  I  endeavored  with  all  my  might  to 
raise  the  lid  a  little,  but  it  was  in  vain  ;  and  to 
make  the  matter  still  ^vorse,  they  moved  the 
cask  across  the  steerage ;  this  brought  the  brine 
about  my  eyes  and  ears,  and  I  gave  myself  up  to 
God — I  knew  no  more — animation  seemed  to 
cease.  How  long  I  remained  in  this  state  of  in- 
sensibility, I  could  not  tell,  hut  when  I  came 
to,  I  found  myself  in  the  cabin,  and  the  Captain 
and  mate  were  using  all  the  means  in  their  pow- 
er for  my  recovery.  I  cast  my  eyes  around  to 
discover  where  I  was,  but  all  that  had  passed,  for 
a  (ew  moments,  seemed  Hke  a  vision.  The  first 
words  I  heard  the  Captain  say,  were — "you  are 


60 


BUNNELL  S 


out  of  danger,  my  lad — cheer  up,  take  a  little  of 
this  cordial,  (old  brandy,)  it  is  a  universal  pre- 
ventive for  all  complaints.'*  I  took  a  dram, 
which  much  revived  me,  and  on  looking  out  of 
the  window  I  discovered  the  brig  a  great  way 
astern  of  us,  and  our  vessel  was  sailing  at  the 
rate  of  seven  miles  per  hour. — What,  thought 
I,  is  the  fate  of  my  poor  ship  mates!* 

I  now  thought  myself  almost  within  the  reach 
of  happiness,  and  pictured  to  myself  the  joy  I 
should  feel  on  arriving  in  my  own  native  coun- 
try. But  like  the  country  maid,  I  "  counted  my 
chickens  before  they  were  hatched." 

*In  the  year  1812,  ju&t  after  the  declaration  of  war 
with  Great  Britain,  1  met  one  of  them  in  Cherry-street, 
New-York,  who  told  me  that  three  were  killed  on  the 
spot,  and  that  the  other  three  were  badly  wounded, 
and  taken  prisoners — tried  by  a  coiirt  martial — and  that 
himself  and  one  other  were  sentenced  to  be  hung,  and 
the  other  one  was  to  receive  three  hundred  lashes  on 
the  bare  back— this  last  one  recovered  from  his  wounds 
and  received  his  punishment,  but  died  the  next  day— 
the  other  died  of  his  wounds ;  and  that  he  was  so  bad- 
ly wounded  that  his  execution  day  was  deferred  until 
he  should  recover — and  that  during  this  interim  the  brig 
was  taken  by  the  French,  and  he  escaped  from  France 
to  America,  and  had  never  seen  them  since.  He  said 
they  supposed  that  I  was  badly  wounded  and  had 
strolled  into  the  woods  and  died,  consequently  they 
made  but  little  search  for  me  ;  but  Eliza,  he  said,  hud 
s:nflered  very  much  on  my  account. 


nam- 


TRAVELS. 


61 


CHAPTER  IX. 


We  had  been  but  three  days  out  from  Grena- 
da, when  one  morning,  while  musing  on  the 
pleasing  prospects  ahead,  1  discovered,  to  the 
windward,  a  small  sail.  "Sail  ho,"  said  I. — 
"  Wear  away,"  said  the  Captain,  "  off  the  wea- 
ther bow."  We  at  first  took  her  to  be  a  man 
of  war,  looking  for  men.  Good  God  !  thought 
I,  will  they  have  me  yet  ?  She  ncared  us,  fired 
a  swivel,  and  hoisted  French  colors.  We  hove 
to,  and  their  boat  came  along  side,  and  told  us 
to  consider  ourselves  a  prize  to  the  flag  of  Bona- 
parte. Having  come  from  an  English  port,  wc 
were  seizeable  by  the  French.  Thus  were  the 
Americans  molested  on  all  sides.  If  from  ii 
French  port,  or  bound  to  one,  seizeable  by  the 
English  ;  If  from  an  English  port,  or  bound  to 
one,  seizeable  by  the  French.  Thus  they  retal- 
iated on  each  other, — and  the  Yankees  had  to 
pay  for  it. 

We  were  taken  prisoners,  and  compelled  to 
assist  in  taking  the  ship  to  the  Island  of  St. 
Martins,  which  was  in  sight.  They  took  from 
the  Captain  and  Mate,  every  thing.  My  money 
being  in  a  canvass  belt  around  my  body,  they 
did  not  find  it. 

We  came  to  anchor  about  sunset,  in  the  har- 
bor of  Narregat,  Island  of  St.  Martins.  We  be- 
ing Americans,  were  not  put  in  prison — the  ship 
and  cargo  were  all  they  wanted.  We  had  the 
privilege  of  going  about  the  town,  and  two  shil- 
lings per  day  allowed  us  to  live  on.  The  Gov- 
ernment soon  procured  a  passage  for  us  to  the 


62 


BUNNELL  8 


Island  of  Bartliolomow ;  but  I  was  living  in 
clover^  and  thought  this  Island  would  suit  me 
as  well  as  any  other,  and  accordingly  remained 
some  months. 

The  island  of  St.  Martins  lies  nearly  west,  and 
in  sight  of  the  St.  CaHs,  and  nine  miles  distant 
from  Anguilla,  and  in  sight  of  St.  Cristophers. 
Nevis,  and  Eustratia.  The  town  is  pleasantly 
situated  at  thc^  head  of  a  small  bay,  and  guarded 
by  a  small  but  strong  fort  on  the  north  side  of 
the  bay,  and  a  battery  of  twelve  guns  on  the 
south.  The  land  stretches  to  the  right  on  a  gen- 
tly inclined  plane,  about  nine  miles,  and  termi- 
nates in  a  high  bluff  which  forms  the  southern 
point  of  the  bay.  The  water  is  very  shoal  in  the 
harbor,  being  sometimes  not  more  than  three 
fathoms  deep.  Simpson's  Bay  is  about  four 
miles  from  Narregat  Harbor,  and  Great  Bay  is 
at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  island,  and  at 
the  time  I  was  there,  was  under  the  Dutch,  and 
Narregat,  the  French.  This  island  is  snmll. 
but  remarkably  fertile,  producing  sugar,  rum. 
and  fruits  of  almost  every  description  that  arc 
found  in  tropical  climates,  in  great  abundance. 
The  fmest  pine  apples  I  ever  saw  grew  there. — 
Potatoes,  beans,  and.  peas,  are  very  scarce,  and 
all  their  llour  is  imported. 

1  procured  a  boarding-house — got  good  clothes 

"fat 
and  it  was  the  first  time,  during 
my  whole  course  of  travels,  that  I  really  enjoyeri 
life  ;  but  my  happiness,  as  the  fates  had  seemed 
to  decree,  was  of  short  duration. 

There  was  a  young  man  boarding  in  the  house 
with  me,  of  Creholc  birth — no  education,    and 


— assumed  the  gentleman — and  lived  on  the 
of  the  land' 


TRAVELS. 


6S 


}ig  in 
lit  mc 
lajncd 

3t,  and 
distant 
>phers. 
Asanlly 
uardcil 
side  ot 
on  the 
r\  a  gen- 
tcrmi- 
outticrn 

al  in  the 
n  three 
)ut  four 
L  Bay  i>' 
and  at 
ch,  and 
small. 
US   rum. 
hat  are 
lindance. 
:heve. — 
Ivce,  and 

clothes 

Ithe  ''  I'at 

durinu; 

enjoyed 

seemed 

ic  house 
)n,    and 


very  singular  habits — who  had  a  great  deal  to 
tell  me  about  his  ''  angel,"  with  whom  he  was 
"  terriblj  in  love,"  and  from  time  to  time  gave 
me  intelligence  of  his  progress.  [The  reason 
why  1  am  so  particular  in  describing  this  atfair^ 
is,  because  it  seriously  concerns  me  in  the  course 
of  this  narrative.]  He  was  lively,  and  well  ao 
({uainted  with  all  the  places  of  amusement,  and 
we  soon  became  very  intimate  friends.  I  was 
(continually  persuading  him  to  introduce  me  to 
liis  intendccl,  but  he  declined — though  at  last,  he 
requested  me  to  write  a  letter  for  him  to  her,  to 
l)c  couched  in  the  most  flattering  terms  of  love 
and  atVection.  I  wrote  one,  and  he  sent  a  boy 
to  carry  it  to  her,  who  soon  returned,  bringing 
the  same  back,  with  instructions  to  say  that  "  an 
answer  was  unnecessary."  This  I  thought  rath- 
er singular,  Liasmuchas  he  had  given  me  to  un- 
derstand th."*t  I.e  was  just  on  the  point  of  being 
married  ;  but  not  long  after  this,  at  his  re- 
quest, I  went  with  him  to  make  her  a  visit,  at 
her  fathers  plantation,  about  three  miles  out  of 
town,  when,  in  my  own  mind,  the  mystery  was 
unravelled. 

We  entered  the  enclosure  by  a  gate  of  elegant 
workmanship,  and  passed  through  a  beautiful 
grove  of  trees,  about  three  hundred  yards,  to  a 
splendid  mansion.  The  old  gentleman  very  po- 
Htely  bade  us  "  good  morning,"  in  English,  and 
invited  us  into  ti\e  house,  where  we  took  some- 
thing to  drink,  and  then  walked  out  with  him  to 
view  his  sugar  and  rum  works.  The  mill  they 
use  for  grinding  cane  is  similar  to  an  old  fash- 
ioned cider  mill,  and  is  propelled  by  two  horses. 
The  cane  is  cut  in  pieces  of  about  four  feet  in 


64 


Bunnell's 


length,  and  in  general  is  about  the  size  ot'  a  large 
corn-stalk,  though  perfectly  round,  and  the 
joints  farther  apart.  The  juice  is  conveyed  by 
a  spout,  from  the  mill,  immediately  into  the  boi- 
lers, where  it  is  kept  constantly  boilinpj  until  it 
becomes  sugar,  and  then  it  is  bailed  out  into 
large  flat  coolers,  and  when  partly  cooled,  is 
shovelled  into  drainers,  when  the  molasses  runs 
oil' and  leaves  the  sugar  dry.  The  |)rocess  of 
distilling  rum  is  similar  to  that  of  whiskey.  It 
is  made  of  cane  juice,  and  the  drei^s  of  sugar. — 
The  work  is  all  done  by  Negroes.  A  white  man 
here  who  is  obliged  to  do  laborious  work  is  but 
little  thought  of. 

The  old  gentleman  was  o(  Englisli  biiih,  und 
married  his  U'ife  in  France,  f^he  was  heiress 
to  the  plantation,  to  which  they  had  removed  on 
the  death  of  her  parents.  He  said  they  had  lived 
there,  contented  and  happy,  near  thirty  years 
and  had  become  rich.  He  had  oixty-seven  ne- 
groes, and  about  forty  acres  of  cane  ground, 
garden,  fruit  trees,  &c.  all  of  which  were  in  a 
neat  state  of  cultivation. 

Dinner  being  announced,  he  invited  us  to  dine 
with  him,  and  we  proceeded  to  the  house.  The 
dining-room  was  very  neatly  furnished,  and  tlic 
table  dressed  in  a  rich  and  delectable  manner. 
Ihad  not  yet  seen  my  comrade's'-' AngcF' — tho' 
we  had  been  seated  but  a  few  minutes  when  she 
appeared,  accompanied  by  her  mother.  The 
old  lady  had  a  very  maternal  look,  and  appeared 
to  be  about  fifty.  The  daughter — what  shall  I 
say  ? — description  fails  to  extol  licr  suflbiently — 
I  can  only  say  that  to  me  she  was  the  loveliest 
form  that  I  ever  beheld — sixteen  vears  old,  and 


TRAVELS. 


65 


form  erect  and  perfect.  I  rose  to  make  ray 
obeisance ;  and,  had  I  dared,  I  would  have  fallen 
upon  ray  knees  and  worshipped  her.  I  cannot 
describe  my  feelings,  when,  with  the  most  aflfa- 
ble  sweetness  that  can  be  imagined,  she  wel- 
comed us  to  their  house. 

My  companion  introduced  me  as  an  acquain- 
tance of  his,  thougli  very  awkwardly,  and  we 
seated  ourselves  at  the  table.  The  conversa- 
tion took  a  lively  turn,  and  I,  on  having  this  "an- 
gel" address  me,  with  one  of  those  bewitching 
fciiTiiles  on  her  countenance,  by  which  Cleopatra 
(conquered  the  great  heroic  warrior,  Mark  An- 
thony, and  made  all  his  warlike  shafts  fall  harm- 
less at  her  feet — poured  the  gravy  all  in  my 
lap  instead  of  my  plate  !  I  felt  a&hamed  and  em- 
barrassed, and  she  to  help  me  along,  repeated 
the  question — "  how  long  have  you  been  on  the 
Island  r' 

After  I  became  a  Ii  lie  composed,  I  told  her  I 
did  not  lament  that  I  had  been  taken  prisoner, 
as  it  had  been  the  means  of  introducing  me  into 
such  agreeable  company.  At  this  moment,  a 
facinating  blush  flitted  across  her  cheeks. 

After  dinner,  the  old  gentleman  asked  me  if  I 
had  r»ny  employment  ?  and  on  being  answered 
in  the  negative,  told  me  that  he  wanted  some  one 
to  ovcrssee  his  sugar  works,  &c.  for  which  he 
would  give  good  wages.  I  agreed  with  him  to 
<io  it,  and  found  the  situation  exactly  what  my 
heart  desirrd.  With  this  attractive  creature,  I 
could  now  breakfast,  dine  and  sup,  like  John 
Bull  with  "wo/viT  tong  pmr^  I  had  not  been  / 
here  long,  before  there  was  a  feeling  deeply  root-/ 
«d  in  my  bosom,  towards  this  lovely  and  iniv'^ 


/ 


/ 


t, 


66 


BUNNELLS 


\ 


cent  creature,  different  from  that  i  liad  previ- 
ously felt  towards  Eliza  Berton,  The  whole 
husiness  i?",  I  loved  her  from  the  bottom  of  ray 
heart — my  whole  soul  and  every  thought  was 
centred  in  lier,  and  I  cared  for  nothing  else  on 
earth — neillier  did  I  thirdv  of  any  thing  beyond 
this  world,  but  meeting  her — slic  .seemed  my  only 
heaven — lier  froun  my  oidy  liell.  I  deter- 
mined to  make  known  to  her.  my  passions,  re- 
gardless of  the  consequences.  It  is  true  I  had 
a  rival,  th.op.gh  I  cared  but  little  for  liim,  if  I  could 
only  win  her  atlections.  1  was  for  some  time  at 
a  loss  how  to  approach  her,  not  being*  very  well 
versed  in  tiie  art  of  ''  making  love."  i  ilattered 
myself  that  I  had  her  predilection,  andwiien  ab- 
sent from  her,  thought  that  tlie  next  time  we 
met  I  would  "put  tlic^  question.""  Bui  the  mo- 
ment she  was  j)resent,  1  was  all  aback,  as  the 
sailors  say  when  the  ship  is  taken  suddenly  by 
a  contra  wind,  and  what  to  do  I  did  not  know. 

The  old  gentleman  had  a  Sloop  in  winch  he 
carried  his  Rum  and  Suarar  to  the  Island  of  St. 
Carts,  and  he  wished  ine  to  take  charge  of  it. 
I  agreed  to,  though  it  was  dangerous  business, 
as  the  English  cruisers  were  very  numerous, 
and  the  vessel  would  be  a  prize  to  them  if  ta- 
ken. He  was  to  furnish  two  hands,  be  at  the 
expense  of  all  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  vessel, 
and  give  me  the  half  of  what  I  could  make.  I 
could  go  and  back  in  a  day,  and  I  cleared  the 
first  week  twenty  dollars.  On  the  Monday  fol- 
lowing, while  oil  my  return,  I  was  met  by  a 
British  Schooner  and  chased  back  to  the  Island 
of  St.  Carls,  where  I  was  obliged  to  remain 
^ee  days,  consequently  was  from  home  four. 

\ 


\ 


TRAVELS. 


6t 


When  I  returned  I  learned  that  Elizabeth  had 
been  much  concerned  for  the  two  last  days  on 
my  account — I  could  not  at  first  believe  it ;  but 
after  having  assertained  it  to  be  a  fact,  1  resol- 
ved to  bring  the  matter  immediately  to  an  issue. 

[During  n^y  absence,  an  Er>giish  sliip  had 
been  cast  away  on  this  Island,  and  one  of  the 
crew,  who  had  lost  every  thing,  and  was  sick, 
poor  and  needy,  had  been  informed  that  an 
Englishman  lived  on  the  Island,  and  came  to  see 
if  he  could  get  some  assistance.  The  natives 
call  all  English  who  speak  that  language. — 
Poverty  and  distress  I  could  not  bear  to  see,  es- 
pecially wlien  it  was  in  my  power  to  relieve  it. 
I  hired  lodgings  for  him,  procured  a  pljysician, 
and  paid  ull  his  expenses  for  three  weeks — and 
after  he  uad  sufficiently  recovered,  procured  him 
apassat  ;  to  St.  Carts — gave  him  five  dollars  in 
money,. ;\iul  saw  him  on  board  a  vessel  that  was 
soon  to  -«;i;l  for  his  native  country.  At  parting 
he  expr  scd  his  thanks  with  tears  in  his  eyes. 
But,  Siii!  1,  if  ever  you  see  any  one  in  a  like  pre- 
dica.net  treat  him  as  I  have  you,  and  the  debt 
will  be  \)\':(\.  I  do  not  mention  this  circum 
stance  I  brag;\d;>;",iii,   but  becan--fi    I  sha'l 

meei,  v  hun  a^^airi  in  the  course  of  my  nar- 
raiive,  ;■  •  I  then  il  •.\ili  a!):»e;\r  liovv  hv,  rcm-ved 
mc  wh'H  ji)  liiailar  tirrujin -stance^.] 

To  •  ;;-;»'0M,  h  !Cli/abeth  and  make  known  my 
affeotl o.is  i,)v  iter,  sv  i^  u  gnvat  vros's ;  b  it,  (hou^ht 
I,  at'tc  liAvin;.':  wiui  -sscid  so  many  dani^-r-,  and 
even  u  atl:  in  /.»"'  jm  h  )rrors,  without  shrin!cing, 
slu.'l  I  '>:•  ufrVi'i  u>  rv.o  a  woman!  No — 'Miore 
goes  1  ':  V  ]uy  iiii,:."  linil.imy  proposds  to 
her,  anl  siv.:aaeu<jj  ''  to  my  heart's  desire."     It 


68 


BUNIfBLL'S 


would  be  childish  to  enutnerate  all  the  little,  en- 
dearing,  foolish  words  that  passed  between  us, 
for  I  suppose  we  said  nearly  what  other  people 
say  on  such  occasions.  She  blushed — I  hung 
my  head,  and  looked  grave,  or  foolish,  or  wise, 
or  some  other  way,  I  cannot  tell  exactly  how. — 
In  a  few  weeks  she  frankly  acknowledged  her 
heart  to  he  mine,  and  scorned  the  look  or  action 
that  belied  it.  Our  courtship  was  pure  as  the 
crystal  stream,  and  many  years  have  rolled  away 
since  that  vestal  virgin  was  numbered  with  the 
dead. 

I  had  arrived  at  the  acme  of  happiness,  and 
had  nothing  to  thwart  my  purpose  but  my  rival, 
who  said  I  had  undermined  him  in  this  young  la- 
dy's affections,  and  that  he  was  determined  to 
"  bring  me  to  an  account."  This  was  not  the 
case,  for  Elizabeth  unhesitatingly  told  me  that 
she  had  never  given  him  the  least  countenance, 
nor  had  he  either  by  word  or  deed,  made  any 
proposals  to  her.  I  saw  him  one  day,  and  he 
was  in  a  great  rage-^he  called  me  a  villain,  and 
said  that  I  had  ruined  all  his  hopes  of  futur* 
happiness.  Stay  my  friend,  said  I,  you  accuse 
me  wrongfully — the  lady  is  now  at  her  own  dis- 
posal, and  if  she  will  say  that  she  is  willing  to 
take  you  for  a  husband,  I  have  nothing  more  to 
say  about  it ;  provided  you  will  make  the  same 
promise  to  me.  He  did,  and  the  next  day,  in 
the  presence  of  her  mother  and  himself,  she  gave 
me  the  preference,  and  he  appeared  to  he  sat- 
isfied. 

Two  or  three  days  after,  I  met  him  in  a  pub- 
lic house,  and  he  challenged  me  to  fight  him  with 
swords.    I  knew  him  to  be  an  expert  swords- 


L  « 


MAVELS.  W 

man,  and  had  no  notion  of  being  stuck  on  a  spit, 
like  a  Turkey  at  Christmas;  therefore  declined. 
He  then  called  me  a  coward.  This  I  could 
hardly  endure;  but  I  considered  the  conse- 
quences of  being  too  rash.  To  strike  him  first, 
I  knew  would  subject  me  to  fine  and  imprison- 
ment, and  I  thought  that  caution  was  sometimes 
as  good  as  courage.  I  bore  his  abuse  for  a 
while  with  patience ;  then  told  him,  that  if  he 
was  determined  to  have  satisfaction,  I  would 
give  it  to  him,  either  with  pistols  or  fists.  He 
chose  the  latter — elected  his  second,  and  I 
mine,  and  "  at  it  we  went,"  in  earnest,  and  af- 
ter a  short  battle  I  came  off  conqueror,  with  but 
one  black  eye^  while  he  could  with  safety  brag 
of  two^  and  a  bloody  nose  to  boot, 

A  short  time  after,  he  left  the  place,  and,  as  I 
understood,  was  to  be  absent  a  year,  and  every 
thing  went  on  as  well  as  heart  could  wish.  No 
happiness  can  exceed  that  which  Elizabeth  and 
I  enjoyed  in  each  other's  company.  Every  day 
seemed  to  unite  us  more  strongly  to  each  other. 
Consent  had  bsen  obtained  of  her  parents  for 
our  nuptials.  She  was  worth  a  fortune,  and  I 
dwelt  in  raptures  on  the  thoughts  of  soon  meet- 
ing my  mother  witl|  a  sufficiency  to  make  us 
all  happy. 


m. 


mm 


10 


Bunnell's 


CHAPTER  X. 


I  had  resided  on  the  Island  of  St.  Martins  six 
months,  and  consequently  was  obliged  to  do 
military  duty — and  having  a  dislike  to  the  mili- 
tia, I  joined  a  volunteer  corps.  We  were  to 
be  mounted — government  finding  arms  and  am- 
munition. Shortly  after,  I  received  a  Lieuten- 
ant's commission.  ' 

About  tliis  time  the  English  took  the  Island 
of  Martinique,  and  it  was  expected  lh.it  Guada- 
loupe,  and  St.  Martins  would  also  soon  fall  into 
their  hands.  One  day  there  came  into  the  har- 
bor a  large  Spanish  siiip  which  had  been  cap- 
tured by  .the  French.  The  prize  master  wish- 
ed to  be  absent  a  few  days,  and  applied  to  me 
to  take  charge  oftlie  vessel  until  he  returned. — 
I  agreed  to,  and  was  to  receive  four  dollars  for 
every  twenty-four  hours.  The  next  day  a  gen- 
tleman arrived  who  wislied  to  purchase  the  ship. 
He  told  me  that  if  I  had  a  mind  to  make  some- 
thing handsome,  he  would  put  me  in  a  way  to 
do  it.     I  said  I  had,  provided  it  was  honest. 

"If  there  is  no  risk  to  run  on  your  part/'  said 
he,  "and  I  employ  you  and  pay  you  for  it,  is  not 
that  sufficient  V 

Well,  said  I,  make  your  proposals,  and  I  will 
give  you  an  answer. 

"1  wish  you,'^'  said  he,  "to  buy  ibis  ship  for 
me, — I  understand  she  is  to  be  solJ  at  auc- 
tion. I  will  furnish  you  with  money,  hut  it  must 
be  understood  that  you  are  the  on.  er,  and 
you  must  clear  her  for  some  port  m  the  U. 
States,  and  I  will  have  my  privateer  r.5ady,  off 


TRAVEL9. 


71 


I  will 


the  mouth  of  Ihe  harbor,  to  take  you  when  you 
come  out--for  which  I  will  give  you  one  hun- 
dred dollars  in  cash." 

I  accepted  hi?  proposals,  and  bid  off  the 
ship  at  fifteen  hundred  dollars — a  great  bar- 
gain. She  was  coppered  and  copper  fastened — 
nearly  new,  and  about  four  hundred  tons  bur- 
then. 

The  third  day  after  she  was  sold,  I  was  ready 
for  sea — bound  >o  Ncw-Yoi  U — in  sham.  About 
eight  o'clcck  in  the  evening,  we  sailed — and 
our  plan  worked  to  admiration — the  privateer 
was  in  readiness,  and  we  wi;re  taken.  The 
captain  of  the  privateer  and  myself  had  a  real 
hearty  lauirh  over  a  bottle  of  brandy,  to  think 
how  "2:enleelv"  it  was  done. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "you  have  matlo  one  hundred 
dollars,  and  have  a  clio.nce  to  make  another,  if 
you  please."     How?  said  1.    "  If  you  will  pilot 
one  of  my  boats  along  side  that  sloop  lying  in  the 
harbor,  1  will  give  yoij  the  ca^h."     I  told  him  I 
would,  and  requested  him  to  have  the  boat  arm- 
ed and  manned.    It  w^s  done,  and  we  immediate- 
ly put  oir  for  the  sloop.     The  night  was  very 
dark,  but  by  the  help  of  the  lead  and  compass, 
I  brouglit  them  along  *ide  tlie  sloop,  without  the 
least  alarm   being  given.     We  first  secured  the 
hatches  to  jirevint  any  one  from    coming  on 
deck — then  cut  the  cable,  and  were  under  way 
before  ^ve  were  perceived  from  the  battery ;  but 
as  soon  as  we  made  sail,  they  saw  us,  and  let 
the  shot  lly  briskly ;  but  it  was  with  them  as 
with  the  Scotchman's  chicken — '*  too  late." — 
The  wind  was  fair,  and  in   fifteen  minutes  we 
were  out  of  gun  shot ;  and  in  a  little  time  safe 


n 


BUNNELL'S 


along  side  the  privateer.  I  received  my  money^ 
and  requested  to  be  set  on  shore,  and  before 
day  light  was  in  town.  I  gave  an  account  of 
the  manner  in  which  I  had  been  taken,  and  was 
not  in  the  least  suspected,  but  condoled  with  for 
the  loss  of  my  vessel. 

^  I  immediately  repaired  to  the  house  of  Eliza- 
beth, and  related  the  above  circumstances,  and 
requested  her  to  name  the  day  for  our  nuptials. 
She  selected  her  birth  day,  which  was  the  lOtb 
of  July,  1810.  This  being  the  29th  of  June,  the 
time  was  close  at  hand. 

On  the  1st  of  July  was  a  military  parade,  and  it 
was  the  first  time  that  I  had  been  called  out 
since  I  received  my  commission.  I  took  care 
to  have  a  horse  that  belonged  to  the  old  gentle^ 
man,  knowing  him  to  be  very  gentle,  for  I  knew 
no  more  about  a  horse,  than  a  horse  did  about  me. 

On  tlie  3d  of  July,  there  were  several  vessels 
in  the  offing,  which  at  daylight  proved  to  be  Eng- 
lish men  of  War.  They  stood  at  first,  so  close 
in  as  to  receive  several  shot  from  the  Fort,  then 
hovered  around  the  Island  the  greater  part  of  the 
day,  and  seemed  to  meditate  an  attack.  At  one 
o'clock  the  alarm  gun  was  fired.  This  was  a 
signal  for  all,  "good,  bad,  or  indifferent,"  t<)  re- 
pair to  the  Fort.  I  was  obliged  to  go,  and  Eliz- 
abeth  and  I  ^'kissed,  shook  hands,  and  parted." 
At  sundown  our  supper  was  brought  to  us  by 
our  respective  families.  Elizabeth  came  with 
mine,  and  renaained  with  me  until  dark,  when, 
with  tears  in  her  eyes,  she  left  me,  breathing  ma- 
ny a  pi*ayer  for  my  safety.  The  whole  night 
passed  in  continual  alarm,  and  at  dawn  of  day, 
on  the  4th,  there  appeared  to  have  landed  during 


■■■■i 


TRAVELS. 


73 


the  night,  a  considerable  force — two  Rloops  of 
war  were  close  in  with  the  harbor,  but  not  with- 
in gun  shot. 

This  day  brought  fresh  to  my  memory  the  In- 
dependence of  my  own  dear  country.  I  sighed 
to  think  how  happy  my  counti^men  were  cele- 
brating this  4th  of  July,  while  I  was  on  the  very 
verge  of  an  action,  and  no  surety  but  that  the 
next  hour  would  number  me  with  the  dead. — 
But  then  a  cheering  hope  would  flash  across  ray 
bosom,  that  Providence  would  not  be  so  cruel  as 
to  separate  me  from  Elizabeth,  just  at  this  time, 
when  my  anticipations  of  future  happiness  were 
at  their  highest  pitch.  These  reflections  brought 
to  my  mind  the  following  simple  but  pathetic 
lines : — 

"  Thou  will  turn  aside  the  balls  that  round  me  flj, 
Lest  precious  tears  should  fall  from  beauty's  eye." 

I  had  no  more  time  to  indulge  in  these  plea- 
sing thoughts.  A  gun  from  the  west  battery 
announced  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  They 
had  landed  about  three  hundred  men,  and 
appeared  determined  to  storm  the  Fort  in 
three  divisions.  We  could  bring  two  thirty-two 
pounders  to  bear  upon  their  boats,  and  soon 
stove  in  pieces  all  save  one.  They  being  wholly 
unacquainted  with  the  situation'  of  the  Fort, 
were  subjected  to  a  great  many  difficulties.  It 
could  only  be  approached  by  a  small  foot  path 
that  wound  up  the  hill  in  a  zig-zag  manner. — 
Their  principal  or  centre  division  approached  in 
this  way,  and  the  other  two  endeavored  to  go  im- 
mediately up  the  hill,  through  prickly  pears, 
which  grew  so  compact  and  to  such  an  enor- 
mous size,  that  it  was  impossible  to  surmount 


^V.,»-.■'^     ^^ 


14 


Bunnell's 


them.  The  centre  division  came  on  in  good  or- 
der, and  with  great  firmnes9,  though  exposed  to 
the  fire  of  our  infantry,  and  three  nine  pounders. 
It  was  their  intention  to  have  concentrated  their 
forces  at  the  gate  of  the  fort,  hut  the  two  divis- 
ions finding  it  impossible  to  gain  the  top  of  the 
hill,  retreated  to  the  main  r(?ad,  and  came  up 
the  way  the  first  division  had.  Our  commander, 
a  brave  and  exptnienced  oflicer,  observed  this 
mistake,  and  resolved  to  take  advantage  of  it. — 
By  tltis  time,  the  first  division  had  arrived  at  the 
outer  gait,  which  liad  been  purposely  left  open. 

The  fort  had  two  enlrances,  about  fourteen 
yards  apart.  Between  th.cpe  we  had  placed  a 
iSimall  cannon,  filled  witli  musket  balls.  No 
sooner  had  they  entered  tlie  fiist  gate,  than  we 
fired  this  piece,  with  a  long  match,  which  made 
a  dreadful  slaughter  among  them — at  the  same 
lime  we  threw  open  tha  other  gate,  and  sallied 
out,  the  mounted  men  in  front,  followed  by  the 
infantry.  The  slaughter  was  great,  and  our  en- 
emies Ibuglit  like  mad  men. 

In  the  midst  of  the  engagement,  I  heard  my 
name  called.  At  first  I  thought  it  was  some  or- 
der from  our  commanding  officer,  but  on  turning 
my  head  a  little,  I  discovered,  to  my  great  sur- 
prise, an  English  odicer,  with  whom  I  had  previ- 
ously been  acquainted.  I  was  on  horse-h;ick, 
and  he  was  on  loot.  When  I  first  saw  him  he 
was  aiming  a  blow  at  me,  and  as  quick  as  a  Hash 
it  came,  and  cutotTmy  right  stirrup  leather,  and 
made  a  slight  wound  upon  my  leg;  but  it  was 
the  last  blow  the  poor  fellow  ever  gave.  I  fired 
my  pistol  at  his  head,  and  he  fell  lifeless  an>ong 
tbe  dead  and  wounded.     He  had  formerly  been 


% 


TRAVELS. 


7ft 


an  enemy  of  mine,  and  you  may  depend  I  oived 
none  of  tlie  English  any  very  good  will.*  His 
name  was  Wain — a  captain  in  the  marine  corps. 
The  men,  as  ?»oon  as  their  leader  ^t'll,  laid  down 
their  arms.  By  tliis  tinu  the  r(;inainder  of  the 
detachment  mounted  the  lull.  We  had  got  a  six 
pounder  to  bear  upon  them,  hut  they  ascertain- 
ing the  fate  of  the  fn-st  division,  retreated  in  the 
utmost  disorder,  and  the  flight  soon  became 
general. 

The  enemy  made  for  their  boats ;  but  what 
must  have  been  their  surprise,  on  arriving  at  the 
spot  vviiere  ihey  had  left  tiiein,  to  find  them  all 
shot  to  pieces  but  one.     This  they  so  ovorloa* 
dcd,  that  she  filled  a  little  distance  offshore,  and ' 
the  men  narrowly  escaped  drowning.     They  fin- 
ding it  impossible  to  escape    from   the  island, 
surrendered.      There    were   three   hundred  of 
them,  including  the  wounded,  and  fifty,  together 
with  their  commander,  killed.      We  had  four 
killed,  and    seven  wounded — our   whole  force 
amounting  to  but  two  hundred. 

We  buried  the  officers  killed  with  the  honors 
of  war,  and  the  privates  with  every  respect  and 
decency.  The  prisoners  were  paroled,  we  ha- 
ving no  prisons  in  which  to  confine  tliem. 

This  victory  occasioned  great  rejoicing.  Our 
commander  gave  a  splendid  dinner,  and  pre- 
sented a  belt  to  each  officer. 

Every  thing  being  over,  I  proceeded,  as  fast  as 
my  horse  could  carry  me,  to  the  residence  of 
Elizabeth.  The  next  afternoon  I  waited  upon 
her  to  a  dancing  party.  I  could  see  no  one  that 
could  excel,  or  even  be  compared  to  her — at 
least  in  my  opinion.      They  had  a  number  of 


'■:  ). 


«"VP 


7f 


BVNNBLL^S 


elegant  dances,  to  all  of  which  I  was  merely  t 
spectator,  for  I  knew  no  more  about  their  French 
conlre-danceSy  than  a  pig  knows  how  to  iron  a 
ruffle-shirt,  or  a  cow  to  handle  a  musket. 

The  ball  was  given  on  the  7th.  On  the  8th  I 
had  all  my  wedding  clothes  completed,  and  so 
were  Elizabeth's. 

It  was  my  calculation  to  take  a  passage  to 
America,  to  visit  my  mother,  and  other  rela- 
tions, then  to  return  and  settle  down  for  life 
with  the  lovely  partner  of  my  choice.  The 
ninth  arrived — the  fatal  ninth  of  July,  1810 — 
never  to  be  forgotten,  until  this  heart  shaa 
cease  to  vibrate,  or  its  motion  be  forever  stilled, 
and  death  teach  me  to  forget  all  nature.  The 
minister  was  requested  to  be  there  at  nine  o^- 
clock  on  the  tenth — friends  were  invited — the 
music  bespoken — and  every  thing  seemed  to 
smile  on  the  approaching  union. 

I  had  solicited  the  old  gentleman's  consent  to 
give  the  Negroes  a  holiday.  I  gave  them  twen- 
ty-five cents  each  to  make  merry  with. 

Elizabeth  could  not  look  at  me,  nor  I  at  her, 
without  a  mutual  blush.  I  thought  it  was  the 
longest  day  I  had  ever  witnessed.  I  suppose  I 
pulled  my  watch  out  an  hundred  times  to  see 
the  hour.  But,  alas!  the  day  was  far  too 
short. 

It  is  customary  in  these  climates  to  take  the 
advantage  of  the  morning  and  evening  air,  in 
promenading.  After  tea,  I  invited  Elizabeth  to 
walk  out  and  enjoy  the  freshness  of  the  evening. 
She  consented,  and  we  sauntered  slowly  along 
the  avenue  of  trees  which  stood  in  front  of  her 
father's  mansion.  She  was  leaning  carelessly 
on  my  shoulder — my  right  arm  encircling  her 


TBAVBL8. 


77 


waist.  We  were  discoursing  on  our  future 
prospects  in  life,  and  felt  our  hearts  beat  in  uni- 
son. It  seemed  as  if  Heaven  had  expressly 
formed  us  for  each  other.  *'  Oh,"  said  Eliza- 
beth, "  how  I  shall  rejoice  to  meet  your  mother, 
and  how  happy  she  will  be  to  witness  your 
return  in  safety.  But  then  there  is  the  ocean 
yet  to  cross — we  must  not,  ray  dear,  be  too 
sanguine  in  our  expectations."  That  is  too 
true,  said  I,  fortune  has  played  me  many  a  slippe- 
ry trick  already ;  but  I  believe  that  I  am  now  a- 
bout  to  be  repayed  for  all  my  troubles,  by  be- 
ing united  to  one  of  the  loveliest  of  your  sex. — 
"  You  certainly  understand  the  art  of  flattery  to 
perfection,-'  replied  she. 

We  had  now  reached  t'le  lower  end  of  the 
walk,  and  was  in  the  act  of  turning  round — Eli- 
zabeth was  a  little  in  advance  of  me — I  saw  the 
flash  of  a  piece — heard  the  report — but  heavens ! 
what  can  I  say !  I  should  expose  my  weakness 
by  attempting  a  description.  Elizabeth  fell  dead 
at  my  feet — a  musket  ball  passed  immediately 
through  her  heart.  I  did  not  stand  long  to  see 
who  was  the  perpetrator  of  this  horrid  deed ;  but 
remained  motionless  a  moment — contemplating 
the  object  before  me — then  clasped  her  lifeless 
form  to  my  bosom  and  started  for  the  house ;  nor 
did  I  stop  until  I  had  laid  it  on  a  bed.  At  any 
other  time,  or  under  any  other  circumstances,  I 
could  not  have  done  this.  I  saw  she  was  no 
more.  The  purple  stream  of  life  was  stfiining 
her  white  robe.  Her  mother  gave  a  shriek,  and 
fainted.  After  having  partly  recovered,  she  ex- 
claimed— "you  have  murdered  my  child !"  I  paid 
10  attention  to  anything  that  was  passing  around 


n 


i^ 


"V 


■OTI 


78 


BUNNELL'S 


me;  but  with  a  silent,  inexpressible  agony  of 
eoul,  conleui plated  the  lovely  form  before  me — 
lovely  slill  in  death.  Although  the  lily,  blen- 
ded with  the  rose,  had  faded  from  her  cheek  ; 
yet  around  her  lips  there  seemed  to  play  a  thou- 
sand smiles.  Tiiose  hrii!;lit  and  sparkling  eyes, 
that  used  to  speak  a  thousand  things  to  my 
heart,  that  could  be  expressed  no  olhcr  way, 
were  closed  in  death.  Now  ye  powers  of  hell, 
said  I,  you  have  done  your  worst — I  defy  you  to 
hurt  me  more^ — lake  me — I  am  ready. 
-  The  old  lady  having  entirely  recovered  from 
her  fright,  a  scene  ensued  that  balHes  all  de- 
scription. She  raved,  stamped,  and  tore  her 
hair.  She  called  me  a  murderer — a  villain,  ai»d 
every  thing  that  a  mad  woman  (for  suvth  she  re- 
ally seemed  to  mo)  could  tl)ink  of.  Tlie  old 
gentlenum  and  myself  were  the  only  two  that 
stood  in  silent  amazemcnl,  gazing  on  the  corpse. 
What  could  my  heart  have  been  made  of,  not  to 
burst  at  this  catastrophe;  ,^speeially  after  hav- 
ing been  accused  of  being  the  murderer,  when 
I  would  have  sacrificed  a  thousand  lives  for  her 
sake.  I  must  hurry  over  this  part  of  my  nar- 
rative— to  dwell  on  it,  is  too  ])ainful,  and  I  think 
that  the  reader  wdl  not  call  me  chiclccn-heartcd 
if  I  should  at  this  moment  drop  a  tear  as  a  trib- 
ute to  that  dear,  departed  soul. 

The  next  day,  (on  \vhich  I  was  to  have  been 
married,)  a  coroner's  inquest  was  held  on  the 
body  of  lilizabeth.  The  verdict  of  the  jury 
w«s,  "  wilful  murder."  The  old  lady  said  that 
1  had  murdered  her  daughter,  which  caused 
fuispicion  generally  to  rest  on  me.  I  was 
taken  into  custody  and  put  in    prison.     I  gave 


m 


TRAVELS. 


79 


ony  of 

!  me — 
y,  blen- 
clieek ; 
a  thou- 
g  eyes, 
to  mv 
Y  way, 
of  hell, 
'  you  to 

!(1  from 
all    de- 
:)re   lier 
[lin,  and 
she  re- 
lic   old 
,vo   that 
corpse. 
',  not  to 
cr  luiv- 
when 
for  her 
y   nar- 
i  think 
hearted 
a  trib- 

I'e  been 
on  the 
Ihe  jury 
laid  that 
caused 
I  was 
I  gave 


myself  but  little  concern  about  the  result.  I  could 
have  died  a  natural  death,  I  believe,  without  a 
murmuT'.     But  to  be  bung  innocently,  I  consid- 
ered rather  hard.     Hangini^,  I  thoughl,  could  not 
be  very  pleasafd^  even  to  the  guilty.     I  now  tried 
to  conjecture  in  my  mind  wiio  this  wretch  could 
be.     I  thought  of  no  one  but  Villars  ;  (this  was 
the  name  of  my  rival ;)  but  ho  was,  as  1  thought, 
absent  from  the  island.     1  did  not  know  bu'  > 
might  liave  been  an  accident ;  and  if  so,  I  thought 
tile  person  would  come  forward  and  clear   me. 
I  concluded  that  there  were  no  more  pleasures 
in  store  for  me.     God,    I   thought,  had    turned 
against  me,  and  was  now  about  to  bring  me   to 
an  ignominious  end.     But  then   thought  I,  that 
cannot  be,  he  will  not  let  me  sulFcr  death    inno- 
cently— why.  (said    an    inward    monitor,)    my 
sufferings  already  arc  worse  than  tiie  agonies  of 
death. 

The  third  day  after  my  imprisonment,  I  was 
call'^d  before  a  court  of  inquiry.  I  liad  previ- 
ously requested,  on  my  knees,  to  be  permit- 
ted to  follow  the  T;  inuns  of  Elizabeth  to  the 
grave,  but  was  refused.  This  I  took  very  hard — 
not  to  b(i  nil  J  wed  ihe  privilege  oi  seeing  interred 
the  remains  of  her  who  was  the  source  of  all 
niy  happiness  uiiiUi  living. 

The  old  l;>(ly  said  that  yhe  was  certain  a  de- 
(Tree  cS  familial ity  had  existed  between  uie  and 
her  dMiM^htiT,  that  exceeded  the  bounds  of  vir- 
tue, aui  that  she  never  thought  I  intended  to 
nr.U'ry  w  r.  The  court  of  inquiry,  after  inves- 
tigr.'uM;  dl  the  cireumstanees,  sent  me  to  piis- 
jn  to  u'fut  the  general  court,  whieh  was  to  set 
ih  ti  vYcc  k.     I  told  them  that  1  had  no  suspicion 


fi 


^ 


^w 


80 


BI7NNRM/a 


of  any  one  but  Villars.     They  assured  inc   that 
every  iiKjuiry  sliould  be   imule. 

Two  duyH  uftcr,  1  heard  that  Villars  had  been 
«ceii  on  the  Island,  the  niglit  on  wliich  the  mur- 
der was   perpetraled.       Orders  wore  given  for 
his  apprehension,  and  on  Thursday  he  wasurre«- 
tcd.     lie   conlessed    the   ('hnie;  hut  lamented 
bitterly  to  think  that  he  had    shot  Eli/abcth.- 
He  said  it  was  his  intention   to  have  killed  me. 
This  having  been  ascertained,  1  was  set  at  liberty. 
I   had   eome  to  the   eonelusion,    should    I?i»e 
released,  not  to  visit  the  ohi    people;  hut    con- 
sidering that  the.  old  lady  V  age,  and  th(^  all'ecliou 
wliich  she  had  for  her   daughter,    had  led    her 
into  the    error,  i  resolved  to  go  and  se(5  them. 
iJut  before  I  had  tin»e  lo  put  tliis  resolution  into 
execution,  they   sent  for  me.     When  I  arrived, 
the  old  lady  would,  had  1  permitted  her,  have  fall- 
en on  her  knees,  and  begged  my  forgiveness  ;  hut 
this  I  could  not  consent  to.      VVe  all  thnu'  shed 
tears  of  real  sorrow  over  our  mislbrtunes  and 
loss.     They  begged  that  I  wr)uld  let  them  con- 
sider me  as  their  son,  and  to  uiake   tlicir  house 
my  home  for  life.     My  dear  friends,  said  ?,  this 
place  will  soon  be  taken  by  the  Knglisli,  and  I 
cannot  remain  here  long,  for  ileath  \\'\\\  surely 
be  my  portion  if  taken  by  them.     I  tirst  deser- 
ted   with  the  king's   arms    in    my  hands — this 
would  be  death  by  a  court  nuirtial.     1  killed  one 
of  bis  subjects  ifi  making   my   escape — ;^joined 
their   enemies,  and   fought  against   them — and 
with  my  own  hands  kille<l  one  of  their  (/flicers. 
All  this  is   enou«i;h   to  iu\ng   me  two   or  thrcr 
times   if  possible.     It   is  true  I   am  an  Ameri- 
can, but  I  have  no  way  to  prove  it,  and  they  will 


TRAVELS. 


SI 


not  take  any  (rouble  to  ascertain  the  fact  for  an 
individual  like  nic.  I  will  stay  as  long  as  I  can, 
and  when  wc  arc  obliged  to  part,  I  shall  leave 
uiy  best  wishes  for  your  happiness — and  should 
fortune  ever  relent  and  give  me  the  privilege  of 
going  where  I  please,  without  being  in  danger  of 
my  life,  I  will  gladly  visit  j'ou.  It  is  true  we 
have  met  with  an  irreparable  loss;  but  it  was 
the  work  of  an  all  wise  Providence,  and  certain  it 
is,  that  so  much  innocepcc  and  purity  as  (hat  love- 
ly girl  possessed,  milst  insure  her  a  seat  in 
lieaven,  and  perhaps  slie  may  prove  my  guardi- 
an angel  in  future  dangers. 

Ten  days  after  (liis,  (July  27,)  Villars  was 
executed  for  (lie  murder  of  Elizabeth  Ilenuning. 
This  cirMimslance  is  well  known  throughout  the 
West  1  i(!;f  y,  and  the  vulgar  on  that  Island  (o 
this  day,  believe  that  she  is  to  be  seen  annually. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  execu(ion  of  Villars, 
before  (he  surrender  of  Guadaloupe — and  8t. 
Martins  being  under  the  jurisdiction  of  their 
Governor,  was  surrendered  also.  On  the  arrival 
of  the  sloop  of  war,  which  brought  this  intelli- 
gence, the  troops  marched  out  and  laid  down 
their  arms,  and  the  place  was  taken  possession 
of  '7  the  English.  1  saw  no  occasion  to  leave 
yet ;  but  the  next  day  another  vessel  arrived, 
and  an  odicer  belonging  to  it  came  down  to  the 
old  gentleman's  plantation,  to  purcliase  a  few  fat 
beeves  for  the  Navy.  He  arrived  about  ten  o'- 
clock, and  when  he  had  finished  his  business,  it 
was  nearly  twelve,  and  the  old  gentleman  invi- 
ted him  to  remain  and  dine  with  him.  I  came 
in  to  dinner,  and  took  no  notice  who  was  pres- 
ent, until  1  was  seated  at  the  table.     You  may 

C 


"^IF" 


82 


BUNNELL8 


judge  my  surprise,  on  beholding,  immediately 
in  front  of  me,  Mr.  Digging,  the  husband  of  Eliza 
Berton.  He  eyed  me  very  sharply,  but  said  no- 
thing until  after  dinner,  when  he  requested  to 
speak  with  me  in  private.  We  retired  into  a 
private  room,  when  he  told  me  that  information 
had  been  received  of  my  being  op.  this  Island, 
and  that  I  was  the  murderer  of  Capt.  Warn. — 
*'You  will  certainly,"  said  he,  "be  hung,  if  ta- 
ken. It  is  my  duty  to  apprehend  you  now,  as 
the  captain  of  the  vessel  I  belong  to  has  orders 
to  that  effect ;  but  if  you  can  make  your  escape, 
be  about  it  immediately — I  will  not  be  in  your 
way — do  not  delay — take  my  advice.  To-mor- 
row morning  there  will  be  a  boat  on  shore  to 
take  you,  and  nothing  can  save  you  but  to  flee 
from  this  Island."  I  thanked  him  for  his  kind 
advice,  and  at  the  same  time  assured  him  that  I 
never  would  be  taken  alive. 

I  found  that  go  I  must,  but  it  seemed  like  par- 
ting soul  and  body,  to  leave  the  place  where  I 
had  enjoyed  so  many  delicious  hours — where 
every  thing  brought  fresh  to  my  memory  the  ob- 
ject in  w^hom  once  centred  all  my  happiness,  but 
which  was  now  numbered  among  the  dead. — 
There  was  not  a  bird  that  sung  upon  the  trees 
around,  but  had  once  warbled  its  notes  to  a- 
muse  Elizabeth  and  myself. 

In  the  evening  I  visited  the  grave  where  lay 
mouldering  in  silent  dust,  the  remains  of  her, 
whose  memory  will  never  be  erased  from  my 
hose  ..  I  sat  down  beside  her  grave,  and  a 
thousand  singular  reflections  rushed  across  my 
mind.  I  thought  of  the  beautiful  lines  of  Bums 
m  his  Highland  Mary,  and  numerous  other  mcl> 


TRAVELS. 


8S 


•e  lay 
if  her, 
Im  my 
and  a 
js  my 
I  Bums 
Ir  mel- 


ancholy ditties*  At  last  a  thought  struck  me, 
that  if  departed  souls  were  ever  permitted  to 
revisit  this  earth,  Elizaheth  would  stand  as  good 
a  chance  to  get  leave  of  absence  as  any  other 
one,  and  that  I  might  again  have  the  pleasure  of 
beholding  her ;  and  I  earnestly  prayed  that  this 
might  be  the  case. 

I  was  aroused  from  these  melancholy  reflec- 
tions by  a  heavy  clap  of  thunder,  and  a 
sharp  flash  of  lightning  that  immediately  prece- 
did  it.  The  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  I  hurried 
to  the  house.  It  was  one  o'clock.  I  threw  my- 
self on  my  bed,  and  mused  upon  the  following 
lines : — 

"  Why  should  we  mourn  departed  friends, 
Or  shake  at  death's  alanns." 

1  soon  fell  asleep,  and  such  a  vision  as  I  had 
would  make  the  blood  chill  in  th  e  veins  of  the 
most  courageous.  Should  I  relate  it,  some  might 
indulge  a  serious  thought,  whils  others  would 
only  lau^^h  at  it.  Therefore  I  shall  not  rehearse  it. 

1  was  awoke  at  four  o'clock,  as  1  had  previ- 
ously requested  to  be — arose  aid  dressed  my- 
self in  great  haste,  and  proceeded  down  stairs, 
where  1  found  the  old  people  up,  v/aiting  for  me. 
I  bid  them  farewell,  and  depaited.  Tliis  par- 
ting scene  I  cannot  give  a  merited  description. 
The  old  lady  wept  bitterly — had  I  been 
her  son  she  could  not  have  felt  worse, — liad  sne 
been  my  mother,  I  should  not  have  felt  more 
sorrow  at  parting. 

I  went  immediately  to  the  north  end  of  the 
Island,  and  trusted  to  fortune  (or  a  ])a8sage  from 
thence  to  St.  Barts*.  This  was  the  only  poRsibie 
way  of  escape.     I  gave  tiiti  old  negro  sevvant, 

*6 


84 


BUNNBLL^S 


whom  I, had  brought  with  me  to  take  back  my 
horse,  a  little  money,  bid  him  *'good  by,"  and  or- 
dered him  to  return  home  with  the  horses.  "Ah, 
Massa  Bunnell,"  said  he,  "poor  nigger  find  no 
more  good  Missy  Betsy."  No,  said  1,  my  poor 
fellow,  nor  I  either.  Parting  with  this  old  ne- 
gro seemed  to  snap  the  last  cord  that  bound  me 
to  life. 

I  travelled  towards  a  small  bay  called  Coge- 
delong,  where  I  was  in  hopes  to  find  some  fish- 
ing boats  in  which  I  could  procure  a  passage  to 
the  Island  of  St.  Barts.  I  found  lying  there  a 
small  sloop,  that  I  used  to  sail,  which  the  old 
man  had  sold  a  short  time  previous.  She  was 
commanded  by  one  Michael,  a  particular  friend 
of  Villars,  and  consequently  no  friend  of  mine. — 
He  refused  me  a  passage.  He  had  three  strap- 
ping great  negroes  on  board,  or  I  should  have 
compelled  him.  He  knew  my  situation,  and 
seemed  to  rejoice  to  think  that  he  had  it  in  his 
power  to  injure  me.  I  walked  carelessly  away, 
revolving  in  my  mind  what  was  best  to  be  done. 
There  was  an  old  hut  a  short  distance  ofl',  and  on 
arriving  at  it,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find 
there  five  men  who  had  deserted  an  English  man 
of  war.  On  starting  from  the  old  gentleman's, 
I  had  prepared  myself  with  a  sword  and  brace  of 
pistols,  and  they  on  seeing  me  armed,  took  me 
for  some  officer  in  pursuit  of  them ;  but  1  soon 
convinced  them  to  the  contrary.  They  had  been 
nine  days  without  any  thing  to  eat  except  what 
they  could  find  in  the  woods.  I  shared  with 
them  what  little  I  had  brought  with  me,  and 
briefly  informed  them  of  my  situation.  Now 
said  I,  we  will  fix  that  fellow,  (Michael,) — come, 


HP 


TRAVELS. 


m 


wc  have  no  time  to  lose.  ♦  Be  guided  by  me  my 
brave   fellows,  and  we  will  be  in  St.  Barts  be- 
fore night.     I  sallied  out,  witli  my  little  party  at 
my  heels.     I  felt  prouder  than  ever  Bonaparle 
did  at  the  head  of  the  whole  French  army.     We 
were  armed  with  good  cudgels,  and  I  had  a 
sword  and  brace  of  pistols.     Michael  saw  us 
coming,  and  endeavored  to  get  the  sloop  under 
way,  but  he  had  not  time  before  we  arrived. — 
Well  Michael,   my  friend,  said  I,  I  am  under 
the  necessity  of  coerceing  you  into  measures  that 
you  would  not  accede  to  willingly.     Haul  your 
sloop  in,  said  I,  and   I  will  take  the  command, 
and  you  can  step  aside.     "  If  you  compel  me,' 
said  he,  "to  give  up  my  vessel,  I  shall  report 
you  as  Pirates.     I  cannot  help  it,  said  I,  neces- 
sity knows  no  law — go  we  must,  and  go  we  will 
— we  have  no  time  to  waste  in  arguing  with  you. 
He  swore   he  would  do  nothing  about  it,  and 
consequently  we  were  compelled  to  do  it  our- 
selves.    We  jumped  on  hoard,  and  weighed  the 
anchor.     Now,  said  I,  Michael,  if  you  have  a 
mind  to  come  on   board,   and  take  a   passage 
to    St.  Barts,  you  can  have  the  privilege,  if  not 
1  will  sell  the  sloop  as  soon  as  I  arrive.     Find- 
ing that  I  was  in  earnest,  he  came  on  board — we 
manned  our  oars,  and  although  the  wind  was 
ahead,  we  made  considerable  progress  towards 
St.  Barts.     About  noon  the  wind  veered   two 
or  three  points  to  the  north.     We  made  all  sail, 
and  at  four  o'clock  were  along  side   the  wharf. 
I  told  Michael  he  might  as  well  not  make  any 
fuss  about  the  vessel.     I  gave  him  ten  dollars, 
the  others  gave  him  one  dollar  each,  and  he  ap- 
peared to  be  well  satisfied. 


86 


BUNNELL'S 


My  next  business  was  to  procure  a  situation  on 
some  vessel.     I  name  across  the  brig  Harane,  of 
N.  Y.  bound  for  N.  Y.     I  was  just  in  time — they 
wanted  one  hand.     I  agreed  with  the  captain  at 
twelve  dollars  per  month.     The  next  morning  I 
went  on  shore  to  buy  some  clothes,  and  other 
necessaries,  where  I  saw  the  five  men  who  came 
with  me  from  St.  Martins.     They  were  to  sail 
for  France  in  a  few  days,  on  good  wages.     I 
agreed  to  see  them  again  before  I  sailed.     I  left 
St,  Martins   on   Monday  the  ninth  of  August, 
1810.     Our  brig   was  to  sail  on  Wednesday. — 
I  went  on  shore  the  morning  we  were  to  sail,  to 
bid  my  old  companions  farewell.     They  were 
under  the  necessity  of  keeping  secreted  for  fear 
of  being  taken.     I  was  in  a  back  room  conver- 
sing with  them,  when  I  heard  a  man  inquire  of 
the  landlord  in  an  adjoining  room,  if  there  was  a 
man  in  his  housje  by  the  name  of  Bunnell.  At  first 
I  tliought  that  it  was  the  captain  of  the  brig  look- 
ing for  me.     I  looked  through  a  crack  of  the 
door,  and  you  may  judge  my  surprise  on  behol- 
ding an  English  officer,  who  had  come  from  St. 
Martins  in  pursuit  of  me.     I  jumped  out  of  the 
back  window — ran  to  the  wharf — and. in  a  few 
minutes  I  was  on  board  the  vessel,  and  in   the 
course  of  an  hour  or  two  we  were  out  of  sight. 
I  silently  rejoiced  to  think  that  I  had  once  more 
escaped  from  imminent  danger.     We  ran  down 
past  the  Island  of  St.  Martins,  and  I  took  a  fare- 
well view  of  it.     I  have  seen  it  but  once  since 
— and  although  a  great  way  off,  it  gave  me   a 
melancholy  thought  of  scenes  that  had  wrought 
so  much  up  )ii  my  youthful  fancy. 

I  could  sec  nothing  now  to  prevent  me  from 


TRAVELS. 


a? 


from 


soon  landing  in  my  own  country,  and  being  hap- 
py, at  least  for  a  while — if  happiness  could  in- 
habit a  bosom,  heretofore  so  destitute  of  it.— 
Our  passage  proved  prosperous  and  pleasant,  un- 
til the  22d  of  August.  We  were  about  half 
passage,  and  not  far  from  six  hundred  miles  from 
land — sailing  at  the  rate  of  nine  knots  an 
hour — it  looked  black  to  the  windward,  and 
portended  a  violent  gale.  The  mate  had  neg- 
lected to  take  in  sail  in  time,  and  the  wind  sud- . 
denly  vcoiing  to  the  north-west,  struck  us  all 
aback.  So  sudden  and  severe  was  the  shock, 
that  the  vessel  was  turned,  in  spite  of  human  ex- 
ertion, bottom  up.  In  an  instant,  as  it  were,  ev- 
ery soul  was  precipitated  into  the  ocean.  Our 
ballast  was  small  stones,  and  when  the  vessel 
capsized,  burst  off  the  hatches,  which  prevented 
her  from  sinking.  She  remained  exactly  bot- 
tom up,  her  masts  and  sails  preventing  her  from 
righting.  I  was  in  the  water  some  time  before  I 
could  get  hold  of  any  thing.  At  length,  with 
great  exertion,  I  succeeded  in  getting  on  the  bot- 
tom of  the  vessel.  I  had  been  in  this  situation 
but  a  few  moments,  when  the  negro  cook  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  a  seat  near  me.  The  next, 
and  last,  was  Willson  Morgan,  of  Newbedford, 
I  heard  the  voice  of  the  captain  in  the  water, 
and  called  to  him  to  swim  towards  me;  but  I 
suppose  he  sunk  very  soon  after,  as  I  heard  him 
no  more.  I  remained  in  this  situation  until  day- 
light, musing  upon  the  ways  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence. Fortune,  thought  I,  has  taken  me  for  a 
plaything ;  but  I  fear  this  is  the  last  trick  she 
will  ever  play  me — she  has  done  her  worst.  I 
,  regretted  that  I  had  not  blotvn  mi/  brains  out  at 

.  "   x'^i,  -  ■ 


mrf 


■»-»«'-«wi^^^-"^""^Wi«WHWP^^"^^WHpP 


88 


BUNNELL'S 


the  time  Elizabeth  was  shot,  and  accompanied 
Iier  into  eternity — or  that  1  had  left  the  Isl- 
and at  all.  I  might,  I  thought,  as  well  have  been 
hung,  and  died  at  once,  as  to  starve  to  death  in 
tliis  miserable  situation.  This  was  my  train  of 
thoughts  while  at  the  very  gate  of  eternity — and 
grim  death  staring  me  in  tlie  face.  The  mor- 
ning dawned,  but  brought  with  it  no  cheering 
liope.  Tlie  sun  rose  in  all  his  splendor.  I 
sat  lacing  the  east.  My  two  ship  mates  sat 
with  their  backs  towards  me.  They  turned 
round  at  sun  rise,  as  if  to  view  his  golden  beams 
for  the  last  time.  There  was  not  a  single  ray 
of  hope  in  any  of  our  bosoms  of  ever  being  re- 
lieved from  this  predicament.  We  were  all 
much  fatigued  in  gaining  the  wreck.  I  had 
swallowed  considerable  .salt  water,  which  oc- 
casioned the  most  burning  thirst  that. can  be 
imagined.  You  who  roll  in  splendor,  and*  know 
nothing  of  distress,  picture  to  yourselves  this 
awful  juncture.  Judge  of  the  feelings  of  the 
victim  who  views  the  sun  rise  on  the  morning  of 
his  execution — he  is  better  off  than  we  were. — 
For  he  knows  the  hour  he  is  to  die,  and  the 
crime  he  has  committed,  and  feels  resigned  to 
Jiis  fate.  We  were  not  sensible  of  having  com- 
mitted any  crime,  yet  the  most  shocking  of  all 
deaths  awaited  us.  We  sat  in  silent  contem- 
plation— not  a  word  passed  between  us  for  some 
time.  At  length  I  heard  Morgan  exclaim — "Oh 
my  will  !  my  children !  what  will  become  of 
them  ?  I  am  their  only  support."  Remember, 
said  I,  (lod  has  promised  to  befriend  the  widow 
and  orr;han.     "  I  feel,"  said  he,  "  such  a  shock- 


SfcL- 


T 


m 


-■>     iLt--" 


mmmm. 


mmm 


;ompanicd 
t  the  Isl- 
have  been 
0  death  in 
Y  train  of 
nity — and 
rhe  mor- 
cheering 
3ndor.  I 
mates  sat 
ey  turned 
len  beams 
single  ray 
being  re- 
were  all 
c.  I  had 
diich  00- 
lat.can  be 
and*  know 
3lves  this 
gs  of  the 
Homing  of 
3  were. — 
,  and  the 
signed  to 
ring  com- 
ing of  all 
t  contem- 
for  some 
im— "Oh 
Bcome  of 
smember, 
le  widow 
a  shock- 


^^ 


J       t. 


? 


(1 


i 


} 

1 


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■.*.- .. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


^   1^    12.0 


IL25  III  1.4 


II 

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nil  1.6 


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% 


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Sdences 
Corporation 


'^.V^ 


2rj  WIST  MAIN  STRilT 
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—  -L 


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m^mi9mmmimmiimimmifmm'!''m^f''^^''^'>mmm 


'  mm 


TBAVELS. 


89 


ing  pain  in  my  bowels — I  cannot  Btand  it  long — 
I  have  swallowed  a  great  deal  of  salt  water." 
«  The  old  cook  was  very  religious,  and  the  fol- 
lowing advice  which  he  gave,  I  shall  never  for- 
jl<^:  "  Put  dy  trust  in  de  Lord,  and  He  will  re- 
Tiebe  you."  About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
a  gentle  breeze  sprang  up  from  the  S.  W. — a 
short  time  after  I  saw  a  sail  very  distinctly. — 
Cheer  up  my  lads,  said  I,  here  comes  relief. — 
God  only  afflicts  us,  the  more  plainly  to  show 
his  power  to  save.  The  vessel  was  about  nine 
miles  off  when  I  first  discovered  her.  She  soon 
approached  so  near  that  I  could  distinguish 
her  rig.  It  was  a  brig  belonging  to  the  United 
States.  I  took  off  my  shirt,  and  standing  upon 
the  keel  of  the  vessel,  waved  it  in  the  air  as  high 
as  I  could  reach ;  but  they  passed  without  ta- 
king any  notice  of  us.  They  could  not  have 
seen  us — for  I  will  not  believe,  although  I  have 
seen  all  kinds  of  inhuman  beings  in  human  shape, 
that  there  could  be  any  so  unfeeling  as  to  leave 
us  to  our  fate,  if  they  had  discovered  us,  for  had 
we  been  dogs,  it  would  have  been  an  act  of  hu- 
manity to  have  saved  us. 

It  now  seemed  as  if  the  door  of  mercy  was 
forever  closed  against  us.  Unhappy  souls, 
cried  I — help  was  almost  within  our  grasp,  but  a 
few  moments  since,  but  now  it  is  gone  forever, 
and  with  it  all  our  hopes  of  being  rescued  from 
a  watery  grave. 

While  the  vessel  was  in  sight,  Morgan  sat 
with  his  back  towards  her,  and  was  so  weak 
that  he  could  not  turn  round.  He  inquired 
from  time  to  time  if  she  neare(L^s.  I  answered 
him  in  the  affirmative  for  a  wmle,  but  at  last  it 


J 


-  !(JJ!|flfcf^^<l HL^Jfip' 


90 


BUNNELLS 


was  evident  that  she  was  making  from  us ;  I  in- 
formed him  of  it,  and  he  sunk  down  upon  his 
face  in  apparent  despiair.  ^.; 

I  felt  as  if  my  last  hour  had  already  commciiar^ 
ced,  and  therefore  took  into  serious  considera- 
tion the  subject  of  death.  I  knew  I  had  enjoy- 
ed but  little  pleasure  in  this>  world  as  yet,  and 
probably  would  not,  should  I  live  to  be  as  old  as 
Methusela,  and  consequently  concluded  that  I 
might  as  well  die  now  as  at  some  future  period. 
About  futurity  I  had  thought  hut  little.  It  is  true 
I  had  read  the  Bible  through^  but  like  too  many 
others  did  not  take  the  sense  of  what  I  read,  or 
rather  did  not  profit  by  it.  I  was  not  much 
ahrmed  at  the  thought  of  dying,  for  I  had  a  kind 
of  awfut  curiosity  to  visit  the  other  world. 

It  being  some  time  since  I  had  heard  a  word 
from  Morgan,  I  supposed  he  was  dead.  The 
cook  had  several  times  murmured  something  I 
could  not  understand,  though  I  supposed  him  to 
be  praying.  To  pray  I  did  not  know  how  ;  but 
very  naturally  concluded,  that  without  a  miracle, 
one  could  not  be  saved  from  the  wreck  without 
we  both  were,  consequently  if  there  was  any 
benefit  to  be  derived  from  his  prayers,  I  should 
receive  it  equally  with  himself.  [Similar  to 
several  persons  being  in  a  dark  room — if  either 
of  them  should  light  a  candle,  all  in  the  room 
would  receive  equal  benefit  from  it,  for  it  would 
be  morally  impossible  for  him  to  confine  the 
light  to  himself  alone,  and  so  it  was  with  the 
poor  old  negro's  prayers.] 

About  four  o'clock  I  saw  a  sail  to  the  S.  E., 
and  communicated  the  discovery  to  my  compan- 
ions.   The  old  cook  looked  up  and  saw  it  also, 


'"■■Mf!^ 


w^i'^^V.w^'^'"""' 


,^ILjL, 


'"T'-^TP'^^i^^^rtl^fffl^ 


TRAVELS. 


di 


but  Morgan  paid  no  attention  to  any  thing  I  said. 
He  lay  on  his  face, — his  legs  hung  down  on  each 
side  of  the  vessePs  keel.  The  old  cook  exclaim- 
ed, in  an  apparent  transport  of  joy,  *'  God  has 
heard  my  prayers ;  and  I  shall  praise  him  while 
I  live." 

[I  thought  if  I  was  saved  this  time,  I  would 
learn  how  to  pray,  for  I  might  at  some  future 
period  be  in  a  similar  circumstance,  without  so 
profitable  a  companion.] 

The  strange  sail  approached  us  fast,  and  to 
our  great  joy  she  was  standing  directly  for  usj 
and  had  we  not  been  perceived  by  them,  they 
would  have  run  afoul  of  the  wreck.  I  stood  up 
and  waved  my  shirt — they  saw  it^  and  immedi- 
ately hove  too,  and  sent  out  their  boat  for  our 
relief.  ' 

We  were  taken  on  board  the  ship  Indepen- 
dence, of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  bound  to 
Charleston,  commanded  by  Capt.  James  Wal- 
ker, from  Limeric.  After  a  passage  of  about 
fourteen  days,  we  arrived  at  Charleston. 

Among  the  passengers  there  was  a  surgeon, 
who  used  every  exertion  to  resuscitate  Morgan, 
but  it  proved  in  vain ;  he  survived  but  three 
days.  The  fatigue  he  had  endured,  both  of 
body  and  mind,  was  too  much  for  his  constitu- 
tion. 

The  circumstances  of  this  ship-wreck  were 
mentioned  in  the  Charleston  Courier  of  Sept. 
11,  1810,  and  the  names  of  the  survivors  given. 
The  pasjengers  made  up  a  purse  for  the  old 
cook  and  myself  of  one  hundred  dollars. 

Misfortunes  thus  far  through  life  had  been 
heaped  upon  me  in  such  quick  succession,  that 


iim 


-Twpipviiiiip^  uiijjiapnpiiMtiw  I' III  u iwfqpmiiifvnmt 


92 


bunnpll's 


*,. 


when  I  found  myself  safe,  with  fifty  dollars  in 
my  pOcket,  I  resolved  to  lose  no  time^  and  like 
other  sailors,  soon  learned  to  drown  all  so^ows 
in  a  flowing  bowl.  Previous  to  this,  I  had  been 
remarkably  temperate,  but  if  I  did  not  drink,  I 
was  called  "  no  sailor,"  and  never  having  had 
the  serious  effects  resulting  from  an  intemperate 
life,  impressed  upon  my  mind  while  young,  it 
did  not  take  much  persuasion  for  me  soon  to 
become  as  expert  a  seaman  on  land,  as  I  alrea- 
dy considered  myself  an  able  one  on  the  water. 
Being  naturally  of  a  lively  disposition,  "  when 
heightened  by  a  few  glasses  of  the  creatre,"  I 
made  a  "  real  jovial  companion."  I  could  drink, 
laugh,  sing,  and  tell  stories.  These  are  the 
qualificiations  necessary  to  constitute  a  "jovial 
companion,"  among  sailors. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A  melancholly  circumstance  happened  during 
my  stay  at  Charleston,  which,  for  its  singularity, 
I  cannot  forbear  to  mention.     There  was  a  man 

by  the  name  of  G ■■ — *  who  boarded  in  the 

same  house  with  myself — ^his  parents  lived  six- 
teen miles  from  Charleston.  One  night  we  had 
been  out  together  until  quite  late,  and  put  up  at 
a  neighboring  house.  We  lodged  in  separate 
rooms.     In   the  morning  the  servant  came  run- 

^This  circumstance  is  well  known  all  over  Charles- 
ton, ond  I  shall  omit  ttfe  young  man's  name  out  of  res- 
pect to  surviving  friends  ^nd  connexions. 


mm 


mm^ 


TRATELS. 


^S 


ning  into  my  room,  with  all  the  horror  depicted 
on  her  countenance  that  Shakspeare  has  descri- 
bed in  his  deepest  tragedies.  I  was  struck  with 
astonishment  on  beholding  such  a  looking  figure. 
I  inquired  into  the  cause  of  her  fright,  but  she 
made  no  reply.  I  conjectured  that  she  had  seen 
a  ghost,  or  devil,  or  something  worse^  and  had 
I  not  known  her  to  have  been  of  this  world,  I 
should  have  surrendered,  and  considered  myself 
sent  for  by  some  supernatural  agent. 

"  For  God's  sake,"  said  she,  after  having  a 
little  recovered  from  her  fright,  "  go  look  ! — El- 
len is  murdered,  and  your  ship  mate  has  fled !"  I 
ran  into  the  adjoining  room,  and  there  I  beheld  a 
sight  too  shocking  to  describe.  The  girl  lay 
weltering  in  her  gore,  with  her  throat  cut  from 

ear  to  ear.    My  ship  mate  G was  no  where 

to  be  found.  I  called  up  the  inmates  of  the 
house,  and  had  a  coroner  immediately  sent  for. 
He  forthwith  summoned  a  jury  of  inquest,  and 
they  gave  a  verdict  of  "  wilful  murder."  There 
was  a  messenger  immediately  despatched  for 
G's  parents,  who  arrived  the  same  day — and, 
shocking  to  relate,  the  girl  was  their  own  daught- 
er !  This  in  some  degree  unravelled  the  myste- 
ry. It  appeared  that  he  had,  though  unknowing- 
ly, committed  incest,  which  led  him  to  add  mur- 
der to  the  crime.  A  great  reward  was  offered 
for  his  a;>prehension,  but  no  information  could 
be  got  concerning  him.  The  feelings  of  the 
young  lady's  parents  on  finding  her  in  this  situ- 
ation, after  having  been  absent  from  them,  eigh- 
teen months,  can  more  easily  be  imagined  than 
described.  She  left  home  in  company  vnth  a 
young  gentleman  to  attend  a  dance,  and  neither 


rmt^^m 


mmm^^ 


H 


BUNNELL'S 


/ 


had  been  heard  of  since,  until  now.  She 
changed  her  name,  which  probably  prevented  a 
discovery  of  the  place  of  her  retreat.  This 
scene  brought  to  mind  the  following  beauti- 
ful lines : — 

♦•  When  lovely  woman  stoops  to  folly, 
And  finds  too  late,  that  men   betray — 
What  charm  can  soothe  her  melancholy  ? 
What  art  can  wash  her  guilt  away  ?" 

I  remained  in  Charleston  until  I  had  spent  all 
my  money,  and  then  shipped  on  board  an  Eng- 
lish vessel,  bound  to  Liverpool.  The  crew  bad 
all  deserted,  and  the  captain  offered  great  wages 
for  hands,  and  pledged  himself  to  procure  them 
a  passage  back  to  America. 

We  sailed,  and  had  been  at  sea  but  one  month, 
when  we  were  boarded  by  his  Britanic  Majes- 
ty's Frigate  Eurydice,  Capt.  St.  Bradshaw. — 
Myself  and  two  others  were  stov^ed  away  in  the 
hold  among  the  cargo,  and  after  searching  nearly 
two  hours,  tliey  discovered  us,  and  we  were 
pressed.  Now  thought  I,  these  scoundrels  will 
have  the  pleasure  of  hanging  me  yet,  if  they  hap- 
pen to  know  me. 

Having  once  received  great  benefit  from  chang- 
ing my  name,  i  thought  I  would  again  try  it,  and 
accordingly  called  myself  David  Curtis.  1  told 
them  I  was  an  American;  but  the  captain, in  re- 
ply, told  me  that  I  was  as  much  an  American  as 
he  was  a  Bishop,  and  no  more,  and  that  I  must 
serve  his  Majesty. 

This  ship  was  bound  to  Halifax,  with  des- 
patches from  thence  to  survey  the  straits  of  Ma- 
gellan, near  Cape  Horn.    We  arrived  in  HalU 


TRAVELS. 


96 


fax,  and  after  a  short  stay,  proceeded  on  our 
voyage. 

There  were  so  many  offences  punishable  by 
flogging,  on  board  this  vessel,  that  it  was  next 
to  an  impossibility  to  "steer  clear."  If  we 
looked  cross  at  an  officer,  we  were  flogged — if  we 
struck  one,  hung — if  we  did  not  make  sail  quite 
quick  enough,  all  flogged.  I  have  seen  one  hun- 
dred flogged  before  breakfast — myself  one  of  the 
number.  In  short,  it  made  no  difference  wheth- 
er we  did  right  or  wrong,  we  were  flogged  just 
as  it  suited  the  whim  of  an  officer.  I  saw  but 
one  who  was  brought  up  to  be  flogged,  get  cleai 
— this  was  captain  of  the  sweepers — a  facetious 
old  fellow.  When  he  was  brought  up,  with  a 
very  grave  countenance,  he  looked  round,  and 
then  exclaimed — "It  is  hard,  I  think,  that  us 
captains  cant  agree."  The  captain  could  not 
help  but  smile,  and  he  released  him. 

I  lived,  while  on  board  th^s  ves^sel,  the  most 
unhappy  life  that  mortal  could.  We  had  not  a 
single  moment,  day  nor  night,  that  we  could  call 
our  own.  We  also  suffered  a  great  deal  for  the 
want  of  water — ^being  under  the  equator,  where 
the  weather  is  very  hot,  and  living  on  salt  pro- 
visions, we  required  double  the  quantity  that  we 
would  in  almost  any  other  situation. 

Oup  passage  to  Riojaneiro  was  short,  and  as 
plea^t  as  we  could  anticipate.  Riojaneiro,. 
stanp  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  is  its  capital. 
At  the  time  I  was  there,  it  was  under  the  Portu- 
guese, and  governed  by  a  Vice  Roy  from  Por- 
tugal. 

Here  we  took  in  water  and  provisions,  and 
proceeded  to  Rio  de  la  Plata — from  thence  to 


96 


BUNNELL'^ 


the  Falkland  Islands,  and  then  to  the  Straits 
of  Magellan.  We  came  yery  near  being  cast 
away  at  this  place.  We  had  been  lying  to  all 
night,  and  in  the  morning  found  ourselves  sur- 
rounded by  breakers,  having  drifted  through 
a  passage  not  more  than  twice  the  length  of  our 
ship.  We  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  getting 
out.  After  surveying  the  straits,  and  ascer- 
taining that  a  passage  through  them  was  practi- 
cable, the  captain  resolved  to  visit  Patagonia,  in 
order  to  ascertain  whether  the  inhabitants  were 
of  such  gigantic  stature  as  they  had  been  des- 
cribed to  be.  We  were  there  in  January,  which 
is  mid-summer  with  them,  and  it  froze  in  tlie 
middle  of  the  day.  The  sun  rose  at  quarter 
past  one  P.  M.  and  set  at  half  past  eleven  A.  M. 
It  is  the  reverse  m  the  months  of  July  and  Au- 
gust. 

The  captain,  and  two  other  officers,  accompa- 
nied by  fifteen  men,  myself  one  oAhe  number, 
supplied  with  provisions  sufficient  to  last  us  five 
dayf»,  proceeded  into  the  interior  of  the  country. 
We  travelled  through  woods,and  over  deep  snows 
three  days,  when  we  came  to  a  small  hut,  built 
of  logs,  and  covered  whith  seal  skins.  There 
was  a  brisk  fire  in  the  centre,  and  seated  by  it 
was  a  monster  of  the  female  sex,  dresse^  in  seal 
•^kins.  It  was  the  most  miserable  lookink  place 
I  ever  saw,  and  for  cleanliness  might  be  Appa- 
red  to  one  of  our  pig  sties.  The  woman  M)ea- 
red  to  be  surprised  at  our  appearance,  but  not 
frightened,  for  I  suppose  she  took  us  to  be  chil- 
dren of  some  other  nation.  She  was  hospitable, 
and  offered  us  some  dried  fish,  and  a  piece  of 
seal's  flesh,  both  of  which  we  declined  accepting. 


■■ 


"«»*»IIPW"^ 


TtLAVELB, 


n 


8be  measured  seven  feet  nine  inches,  and  her 
child,  which  was,  as  near  as  we  could  ascertain, 
from  her  pointing  to  the  moon,  and  then  coun*- 
ting  her  fingers,  two  moons  and  a  half  old — weigh'x 
ed  one  hundred  eight  pounds  and  a  half  and 
appeared  as  helpless  as  our  children  at  the  same 
age.  We  broke  some  bread  and  ate  it  before 
h«r,  but  could  not  get  her  to  taste  it.  Her  hus- 
band measured,  as  near  as  we  could  ascertain 
from  her,  nine  feet  seven  inches.  He,  together 
with  the  rest  of  the  tribe,  were  off  on  a  hunting 
tour.  There  were  no  signs  of  cultivation — they 
live  by  hunting  and  fishing. 

This  hut  we  presumed  v/as  their  summer 
habitation,  for  a  little  distance  from  this,  on  the 
side  of  a  hill,  there  was  a  deep  cave,  sufficient- 
ly large  to  contain  an  hundred  persons  with  ease. 
There  was  a  hole  through  tlie  centre  which  waa 
used  as  a  chimney.  I  was  informed  that  pre- 
vious to  the  jvinter  s  setting  in,  they  got  suffi- 
cient supplies'^  of  wood,  provisions,  water,  &c. 
for  the  season,  and  retired  to  this  cave — stop- 
ped up  the  mouth,  and  remained  there  until 
summer,  when  they  came  out  and  resumed  then- 
hunting,  &c. 

We  stayed  near  the  hut  one  night,  and  in  the 
morning  departed,  and  arrived  at  the  ship,  af- 
ter an  absence  of  seven  days,  almost  famished 
with  cold  and  hunger.  Some  of  our  party  froze 
their  feet,  some  their  hands,  and  others  their 
ears.  One  of  the  officers  was  so  much  frost-- 
bitten  that  he  lost  three  of  his  fingers,  and  the 
whole  crew  would  have  rejoiced,  had  it  been 
his  head.    He  was  a  consummate  villain  and  tj 

MUdt.. 


Ml  BVIfNBLL*0 

The  next  day  we  sailed  for  England.  We 
touched  at  the  Falkland  islands,  and  sent  a  boat's 
crew  on  shore  to  get  eggs ;  they  had  not  been 
gone  more  than  two  hours,  when  they  returned 
with  a  barrel  and  a  half,  of  all  descriptions. — 
They  said  there  were  eggs  in  great  abundance, 
but  their  force  was  not  sufficient.  The  ostrich- 
es would  make  battle  with  them,  and  it  was 
as  much  as  a  man  could  do  to  defend  liimself 
against  one  of  them. 

We  made  sail  for  Rio  Janeiro.  One  of  our 
men  fell  overboard  in  a  calm,  and  before  we 
could  get  a  boat  to  his  assistance,  he  was  bit  in 
two  by  a  shark,  and  swallowed  by  him,  assisted 
by  two  others  that  wern  near  by.  We  did  not 
discover  either  of  them  when  the  man  first  fell 
overboard.  He  had  been  flogged  almost  every 
day  for  the  week  previous,  and  it  was  suppo- 
sed by  many  that  he  threw  himself  overboard 
on  purpose,  and  I  do  not  in  the  least  doubt  it, 
for  another,  while  in  the  very  act  of  being  dog- 
ged, knocked  down  the  man  who  was  tying  him, 
and  jumped  overboard.  They  never  hove  the 
4iip  to,  at  all,  nor  seemed  to  mind  any  thing 
about  it.  What  must  these  unfeeling  wretches 
think,  when  treating  their  fellow  creatures  with 
such  cruelty  ?  This  treatment,  though  it  grievee 
me  to  say  it,  is  not  altogether  confined  to  the 
British  Navy. 

We  arrived  at  Rio  Janeiro  safe,  and  I  watched 
for  an  opportunity  to  escape,  but  there  was 
none  presented.  I  commenced  writing  a  letter 
to  the  American  Consul,  for  which  I  received 
one  dozen  lashes,  and  was  threatened  with  three 
timeii  as  many  if  I  should  ever  attempt  the  like 


:?» 


TRAVELS. 


99 


again.  A  boat's  crew  found  means  to  runaway, 
and  out  of  seven  they  cauglit  but  two.  These 
poor  fellows  were  taken  to  England  in  irons — 
tried  by  a  court  martial,  and  sentenced  to  three 
hundred  lashes  from  ship  to  ship,  through  the 
whole  fleet — one  received  his  punishment  and 
died  soon  after — the  other,  wiorc  lucky^  took 
sick  and  died  before  his  sentence  could  be  put 
in  execution. 

We  sailed  from  here,  and  without  any  mate- 
rial  accident^  arrived  at  Portsmouth,  England. — 
I  here  got  an  opportunity  to  write  to  the  Ameri- 
can Consul,  at  London,  and  received  for  an  an- 
swer, "  if  you  have  no  protection,  I  can  do  noth- 
ing for  you." 

1  was  transferrrd  to  his  Majesty's  brig  Fan- 
tome,  Capt.  Bradshaw,  and  proceeded  with  a 
convoy  up  the  Baltic — then  returned  and  joined 
the  fleet  off  Flushing,  under  the  command  of 
Admiral  Young,  and  after  remaining  some  time, 
we  were  sent  to  watch  the  movements  of  the 
French  fleet  at  Goru.  One  night  about  eight 
o'clock,  while  we  were  lying  at  anchor,  and  just 
as  we  had  got  clcveily  in  bed,  a  French  man-of- 
war,  of  superior  force,  bound  into  the  harbor, 
came  alongside  of  us,  and  the  first  salute  we  got 
of  French  politeness,  was  a  broadside  of  grajic 
and  canistel"  shot.  We  were  soon  at  our  quar- 
ters, cut  our  cable,  and  a  running  light  commen- 
ced, which  lasted  about  half  an  hour,  when  we 
were  so  close  into  the  harbor  that  the  fort  open- 
ed her  fire  upon  uS,  and  we  were  obliged  to 
make  the  best  of  our  way  out,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  a  light  breeze  that  sprung  up  off  the 
land,  we  should  have  been  taken.    We  got  off 

7* 


^mmmm^ 


ipm 


lOD 


BUNNELL  J» 


by  great  exertion,  with  the  loss  of  our  foretop- 
mast,  and  seven  men  killed  and  nine  wounded. 
I  was  most  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire  of  any 
one  on  boards  as  I  acted  in  the  capacity  of  signal* 
man,  but  came  oiT  unhurt,  though  there  was  a 
lieutenant  shot  through  by  my  side.  We  recei- 
ved much  damage  ih  this  short  conflict,  and  were 
obliged  to  go  into  port  to  refit,  and  accordingly 
made  sail  for  Shereness,  a  large  naval  depot 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Thames. 

We  refitted,  and  proceeded  again  to  join  the 
fleet,  and  were  sent  from  there  to  Portsmouth 
with  despatches.  I  was  here  taken  very  ill,  and 
was  sent  to  the  hospital,  and  for  some  time  my 
life  wa^  despaired  of;  but  youth,  and  a  strong 
constitution,  got  the  better  of  my  disease,  and  I 
recovered,  after  a  severe  fit  of  sickness,  which 
lasted  three  months. 

This  hospital  I  suppose  is  one  of  the  finest  in 
the  world.  It  forms  three  parts  of  a  square,, 
open  in  the  centre ;  the  other  part  of  the  square 
IS  occupied  for  a  church,  and  every  sailor  as 
soon  as  he  gets  able  to  walk,  is  obliged  to  at- 
tend service  every  Sunday.  It  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  six  wards — each  ward  i& 
sufiiciently  large  to  accommodate  eighteen  men, 
and  the  great  square,  as  it  is  called,  four  times 
that  number.  It  is  generally  managed  by  some 
one  who  has  borne  a  commission  in  the  navy, 
and  been  disabled.  At  the  time  I  was  there  it 
was  managed  by  Admiral  Collingwood,  who  had 
lost  both  his  legs  with  Lord  Nelson.  Each 
ward  is  allowed  tw  o  female  nurses,  who  receive 
twenty-one  shilUngs  each  per  month,  and  found 
•^together  with  a  place  detached  from  the  ward 


TRAVELS. 


101 


to  live  in.  If  they  remain  a  nutsc  ten  years, 
they  receive  after  that,  a  pension  of  five  sliillings 
per  month,  during  life — if  twenty  years,  ten  shil- 
lings. There  was  one  there  when  I  was,  who 
had  been  in  the  business  tliirty  years,  and  was 
upwards  of  seventy  years  old.  She  was  in  ma- 
ny respects  better  than  any  of  the  doctors,  and 
in  difficult  cases  was  frequently  consulted  by 
them.  There  were  four  chief  doctors,  who  had 
two  mates  each.  They  have  their  respective 
wards  to  attend  to,  and  take  turns  of  a  week 
each  to  receive  patients.  Besides  those  who 
have  the  charge  of  the  ])hysical,  there  arc  two 
surgeons  who  attend  solely  to  the  surgical  de- 
partment. The  hospital  is  five  stories  high,  and 
water,  by  the  help  of  machinery,  is  transported 
to  the  upper  lobbies.  The  doctors  visit  their 
patients  three  times  a  day,  without  fail. 

Just  as  1  got  able  to  walk  about  a  little,  the 
second  nurse  in  the  w^ard  that  I  belonged  to, 
was  taken  sick,  and  the  one  who  had  been  pro* 
cured  to  fill  hrtr  place,  was  ordered  to  bring  me 
some  medicine.  She  came  to  my  bed — Imagine 
my  surprise  on  beholding  the  daughter  of  my 
London  landlady — tlie  very  one  who  was  the 
occasion  of  my  precipitate  retreat  from  that 
place.  I  was  so  much  altered  by  sickness  that 
she  did  not  know  me,  but  I  kncv/  her. 

The  nurses  have  to  set  up  by  turns  all  night, 
and  one  night  this  girl  came  and  sat  on  tl>e  foot 
of  my  bed,  and  I  got  in  conversation  W'ith  her. — 
1  asked  her  if  she  liad  ever  resided  in  London  ? 
She  answered  in  the  affirmative.  I  then  asked 
her  if  her  father  did  not  keep  a  boarding  house  ? 
She  stared  at  me  for  a  moment,  and  exclaimed, 


'Wf>'""      I        ii'li' 


102 


fiUNNELLS 


'^8  this  you  David?"  Yes,  replied  I.  "Wretch," 
said  she,  your  child  is  not  a  mile  from  this 
place,  and  is  upwards  of  two  years  old."  That 
cannot  he  helped,  said  I,  the  best  are  liahle  to 
.  err  at  times,  and  I  can  do  nothing  for  you  now. 

I  received  the  most  assiduous  attention  from 
this  girl  and  grew  better  fast,  and  in  a  few  days 
was  discharged  from  the  hospital  and  sent  on 
hoard  the  guard  ship,  Royal  William,  at  Spit 
Head.  I  acted  in  my  old  station — as  signal-man. 
This  was  a  very  easy  situation  ;  I  had  only  to 
keep  two  hours  watch  every  night. 

I  had  not  been  on  board  long,  before  I  formed 
the  strongest  ties  of  friendship  with  a  country- 
man from  New- York,  by  the  name  of  Archibald 
Post.  He  was  also  a  signal  man,  and  we  reliev- 
ed each  other;  and  finally,  we  concluded  to 
run  away,  and  risk  the  consequences.  We  got 
three  others  into  our  plan — one  of  them  a  ma- 
rine. There  was  a  marine  walked  post  every 
night  on  each  side  of  the  vessel,  and  two  more 
were  stationed  at  each  end.  There  was  a  small 
boat  which  was  hoisted  up  every  night,  a  little 
way  out  of  the  water — the  rest  were  hoisted  all 
the  way  up,  which  brought  them  about  thirty  feet 
from  the  water.  The  guard  consisted  of  thirty 
marines,  who  were  always  ready  at  a  moment^s 
warning,  with  arms  loaded.  We  had  agreed  to 
attempt  our  escape  the  first  night  our  marine 
should  be  on  post.  My  watch  was  from  four 
until  six  in  the  morning.  Wh;^n  the  marine  came 
on,  I  notified  the  other  three  who  were  to  desert 
with  us,  and  as  soon  as  all  was  quiet  we  embark- 
ed in  the  boat  we  had  previously  selected.  Two 
of  US  stood  with  good  sharp  knives  to  cut  tho 


.1 ..  »• 


■MP 


TRAVELS. 


105 


retch," 
m  this 
That 
ahle  to 
u  now. 
in  from 
w  days 
}ent  on 
at  Spit 
al-m'an. 
only  to 

formed 
ountry- 
chihald 
i  reliev- 
ided  to 
We  got 
a  ma- 
t  every 
o  more 
a  small 
a  little 
sted  all 
irty  feet 
►f  thirty 
^ment^s 
;reed  to 
marine 
n  four 
le  came 
)  desert 
mhark- 
Two 
cut  the 


ropes  as  soon  as  the  boat  should  touch  the  wa- 
ter.    We  succeeded  finely,  and  shoved  oif  with- 
out being  discovered.     (We  had  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  to  row,  and  the  only  weapon  of  de- 
fence we  had,  was  an  old  damaged  pistol,  that  I 
had  stolen,  and  which  I  afterwards  found  had 
no  lock.)    Unluckily,  we  made  some  noise  in 
arranging  our  oars,  which  alarmed  the  other  sen- 
tinels, who  fired  upon  us,  and   this  aroused  the 
whole  guard.    By  this  time,  we  had  four  oars  in 
operation,  and  the  marine  was  steering.    Before 
we  had  got  one  hundred  yards  from  the  vessel, 
the  whole  guard  fired,  and  the  balls  sjtruck  all 
about  us  in  the  water,  and  a  number  hit  the  boat : 
one  ball  entered  my  oar  close  to  my  hand — 
which  I  thought  was  quite  near  enough.     The 
poor  marine  was  shot  dead,   and  fell  upon  the 
bottom  of  the  boat.     Another  of  my  brave  fel- 
lows was  so  badly  wounded  that  he  could  not 
manage  his  oar.     This  for  a  while  gave   us  a 
great  deal  of  trouble,  as  it  left  us  with  two  men 
on  one  side,  and  only  one  on  the  other — but  we 
were  soon  relieved  from  this  embarrassment  by 
another  being  wounded,  which  left  one  on  each 
side,  and  a  steersman. 

We  landed  on  the  beach  without  further  loss 
or  damage.  Neither  Post  nor  myself  had  recei- 
ved any  injury  :  We  left  the  boat,  the  dead  and 
the  wounded,  behind,  and  "  took  ourselves  off." 
The  two  wounded  sailors  wished  us  success,  on 
parting,  and  one  of  them,taking  a  two  pound  note 
from  his  pocket,  said — "Take  this,  shipiuates, 
it  will  be  of  no  use  to  me — my  wound  is  mor- 
tal.'^ The  ball  had  entered  his  breast,  and  as  I 
have  since  heard,he  died  the  next  day.  The  other 


mmmm 


104 


BUNNELL'S 


was  wounded  in  the  leg,  andliis  fate  is  unknown 
to  me. 

There  arose  a  serious  difficulty ;  we  had  to 
pass  through  the  town  of  Portsmouth,  and  go 
out  at  what  is  called  the  country  gate — at  which 
there  always  stands  a  sentinel,  and  no  sailor  is 
permitted  to  pass  without  a  passport.  As  good 
luck  would  have  it,  a  remedy  for  this  evil  was  at 
hand.  There  were  two  farmers  in  sight,  with 
long  frocks  on,  and  old  slouch^/  hats  and  coarse 
tow  trowsers — Come,  Post,  said  I,  an  exchange 
is  no  robbery — let  us  try  it.  [We  had  on  broad 
cloth  round-a-bouts,  vests  and  pantaloons.]  We 
came  up  to  the  farmers,  related  our  situation 
in  a  few  words,  and  proposed  an  exchange  of 
coats  and  hats;  but  they  said  they  could  not  ex- 
change unless  compelled  to,  for  they  should  be 
liable  to  be  taken  up.  Well,  said  I,  if  that's  the 
case,  we  can  soon  "  compnl"  you,  at  the  same 
time  drawing  the  pistol  from  my  bosom — strip  said 
I,  this  moment,  or  I  will  blow  you  both  to  the 
devil.  They  did  not  long  hesitate,  and  the  ex- 
change was  soon  elfected,  and  we,  dressed  in 
farmers'  apparel,  set  off  as  fast  as  possible.  I 
had  the  two  pound  note  and  a  few  shillings  be^ 
sides.  Post  had  upwards  of  ten  pounds,  which 
he  had  been  some  time  laying  uafbrtlusi  occa- 
sion. ■  ■■.:-'^?rtv  ••■  ■  3        ■•''  V    ;.,.:. 

We  did  not  stop  in  the  town,  but  tr^l^elled  on 
as  fast  as  we  could  to  the  country  gate.  The 
sentinel  supjio^in^  we  were  two  farmers  who 
had  come  in  on  ^  some  business,  took  no  notice 
of  us.  We  travelled  until  about  noon,  and  then 
stopped  to  take  some  refreshment.  I  lieard 
afterwards  that  the  farmers  were  both  taken  up, 


"'    ^ 


TRAVELS. 


105 


. 


and  they  told  the  officers — God  bless  them  for 
it — that  we  had  taken  the  road  to  Dover,  in  or- 
der to  cross  over  to  France.  This  put  the 
blood  hounds  on  a  wrong  scent — and  to  make 
the  story  short,  we  arrived  in  London  safe,  on 
the  23d  of  April,  1812. 

I  did  not  visit  any  of  my  old  acquaintances, 
but  steered  immediately  for  the  London  dock, — 
equipped  in  my  farmer's  dresFi.  Here  we  found 
two  American  vessels — llie  Hellen  and  Fredo- 
nia,  both  of  New-York.  Post  got  a  passage  in 
the  Hellen,  bound  direct  to  New- York,  and  I 
agreed  to  work  ray  passage  on  'Ijoard  the  Fre- 
donia,  which  was  going  to  St.  Ubes  in  Portugal, 
and  from  thence  to  New-York.  We  sailed,  and 
in  four  days  were  clear  of  the  white  clifts  of  Al- 
bion— so  much  celebrated  in  r.onar  and  storv — 
and  to  me  a  happy  sight  to  tee  them  behind  me. 
Well  done  Bunnell,  tbouglitl — a  complete  Yan- 
kee trick — to  rob  two  farmers  (Englishmen) 
with  an  old  pistol  without  a  lock — and  defeat 
the  argus  eye  of  Admiral  Sir  Roger  Curtis,  and 
make  my  escape  through  the  heart  of  their  coun- 
try,— and  get  off  clear  from  tlieir  tyrannic  sway, 
and  taste  once  more  the  glorious  sweets  of  free- 
dom. 

Our  passage  to  St.  Ubes  was  short  and  pleas- 
ant. At  this  place  it  was  the  captain's  intention 
to  take  in  a  cargo  of  salt,  andlliere  being  a  ship 
in  the  harbor,  which  was  to  sail  the  next  day 
for  New-York,  1  took  passage  in  her  for  home^ 
and  arrived  at  New-Yprk  safe,  after  a  short  and 
pleasant  voyage.        -    ^ .? 


loe 


BUNNELL'S 


CHAPTER  XII. 


■^    '  ^■ 


The  sight  of  Sandy  Hook,  after  having  been 
absent  nearly  seven  years,  brought  a  thousand 
pleasing  reflections  to  my  mind,  and  I  was  over- 
joyed to  sec  the  steeples  rising  to  my  view. 

I  arrived  in  New- York  June  18,  1812 — the 
very  day  that  war  was  declared  with  Great 
Brtian,  and  the  President,  Constellation  and 
Congress,  sailed  on  the  same  day  on  a  cruise. — 
We  landed  along  side  the  wharf  about  sunset. — 
The  ne^t  day  1  travelled  New-York  over,  and 
went  to  the  house  of  my  old  master,  but  could 
get  no  tidings  of  my  mother,  sister  norany  of  my 
relations.  ,  . 

At  this  time  my  country  called  for  my  assis- 
tance— and  taking  into  consideration  that  if  I  fell, 
it  would  be  honorable — and  that  I  had  no  chil- 
dren to  mourn  my  fate — and  that  revenge  was 
sweet — and  it  would  give  me  an  opportunity  of 
settling  some  small  accounts  with  John  BuUy 
which  had  been  of  long  standing,  and  for  which 
I  had  his  wo/e,  engraven  on  my  hack — I  joined 
the  service,  June  21,  1812,  in  the  gun  boats 
commanded  by  Commodore  Chauncey — I  was 
attached  to  gun  boat  100,  Captain  Jenkins. 

The  first  employment  of  the  seamen  was  to 
carry  stone  for  the  building  of  the  telegraph 
at  the  narrows,  and  another  on  the  highlands. — 
About  the  latter  end  of  August,  we  were  all 
mustered  in  the  navy  yard,  and  the  question 
taken — "  All  you  who  will  volunteer  to  go  with 
Com.  Chauncey  to  Lake  Ontario,  step  o  ut." — 
All  stepped  out  but  five,  and  they  were  compelled 
<o  go  likewise. 


TRAVELS. 


107 


g  been 
lousand 
is  over- 

12— the 
I  Great 
on  and 
ruise. — 
inset. — 
ver,  and 
ut  could 
nyofmy 

ly  assis- 
t  if  I  fell, 
no  chil- 
ige  was 
tunity  of 
m  BuU, 
)r  which 
■I  joined 
in  boats 
— I  was 
ins. 

a  was  to 
elegraph 
lands. — 
were  all 

question 
►  go  with 

out."— 
impelled 


We  bad  twenty-four  hours  of  liberty  given  us 
to  take  a  parting  dinner  with  our  friends.  We 
then  embarked  on  board  of  sloops  and  sailed  for 
Albany.  I  went  on  board  of  one  comman- 
ded by  Capt.  Trent,  a  singularly  brave  pat- 
riot, who  deserves  the  notice  of  every  well-wish- 
er of  his  country.  His  only  fault  was,  that  he 
was  incautiously  brave — he  knew  no  fear,  and 
feared  no  danger.  4', 

We  arrived  at  Sackett's  Harbor  in  August. — 
Commodore  Chauncey  had  brought  into  the  ser- 
vice several  schooners,  and  resolved  on  a  cruise 
before  winter  set  in.  We  sailed  with  five  schoon- 
ers, and  the  brig  Oneida,  in  which  the  Commo- 
dore hoisted  his  flag. 

We  sailed  across  the  lake  towards  the  Cana- 
da shore,  where  we  fell  in  with  H.  B.  M.  Ship 
Royal  George,  and  chased  her  into  Kingston, 
when  the  signal  was  given  to  form  a  line  and 
attack  the  place. 

The  Royal  George  was  moored  across  the 
harbor  and  presented  to  us  her  broad  side,  from 
which  she  opened  a  heavy  fire.  We  stood  in 
good  order,  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire  from 
their  batteries,  which  we  returned  with  ardor 
and  spirit,  in  the  height  of  our  desire  for  victory- 
The  signal  was  soon  given  to  bear  up,  and  we 
steered  out  of  tte  harbor.  This  surprised  a 
great  many,  but  it  was  our  duty  to  obey,  and  I 
am  not  di€posed  to  find  fault.  We  had  but  one 
man  killed  in  the  whole  squadron. 

We  proceeded  immediately  for  Sackett's  Har- 
bor, and  hauled  our  vessels  into  winter  quarters. 
In  the  course  of  the  winter,  the  Madison,  a  ship 
of  twenty  guns,  was  launched  and  ringed,  and 


108 


BIINNBLI/S 


the  keel  of  another  laid.  The  winter  proved 
very  sickly,  both  to  sailors  and  soldiers — num- 
bers died  daily. 

We  tilted  out  our  squadron,  and,  augmented 
by  the  Madison,*  of  twenty  guns,  to  which  I 
was  attached — look  on  hoard  troops  under  the 
command  of  Generalw  Dcarbon  and  Pike,  and 
sailed  for  Lillle  York.  We  arrived  off  the  mouth 
of  the  river  at  daylight,  on  tlie  27lh  of  April, 
1813,  and  innncdialely  began  to  land  the  troops 
under  tlie  command  of  General  Pike — Genera\ 
Denrhon  remaining  with  Commodore  Chauncey 
on  board  the  Madison,  wiiicli  was  anchored  a 
convenient  distance  from  the  town  to  disembark 
the  l^'oops  in  safety. 

I  belonged  to  the  Madison's  hunwh^  under  the 
immediate  command  of  Lieutenant  Gregory — a 
brave  and  exjierienced  otlicer.  The  enemy 
marched  out  to  oppose  our  landing,  and  were 
drawn  up  in  a  line  on  the  bank  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  town.  Tliere  was  in  our 
boat,  the  lieutenant,  cockswain,  twenty  soldier;*, 
and  sixteen  of  tlie  boat's  crew — thirty-eight  in 
the  whole.  Wc  pulled  up  to  the  beach  amid 
n  shower  of  musket  balls  Irom  the  enemy,  and 
being  the  fust,  were  for  some  time  exposed  to 
their  whole  fire.  After  a  severe  contest  of  about 
half  an.  hour,  the  enemy  retreutpll  to  their  works. 

Lieutenant  Gregory  received,  during  this  ac- 
tion, four  balls  through  his  clothes  in  ditferent 
places,  and  the  cockswain  received  one  through 
his  hat  which  just  grazed  his  head.  Nine  out  of 
the  twenty  soldiers  were  either  killed  or  woun- 

*This  was  the  tirst  American  ehip  ever  built  on  ib« 
Itke. 


TRAVELS. 


109 


ded,  and  four  of  the  sailors  wounded — myseli* 
one  of  the  number. 

Our  schooners  were  brought  in  range  with 
the  enemy's  batteries  at  about  ten  o'clock — the 
fire  laKtcd  until  three,  when  the  English  blew 
up  the  fort  and  retreated.  The  loss  of  the 
Americans  in  this  conllict  was  much  greater  than 
that  of  the  English.  The  explosion  of  the  mag- 
azine filled  the  air  in  every  direction  with  huge 
stones,  which  in  falling  made  great  havoc  among 
the  troops.  The  brave  and  gallant  General  Pike 
received  a  mortal  wound:  from  a  stone  which 
struck  him  on  the  breast — he  survived  until  about 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  he  expired 
amid  the  cheering  shouts  of  victory. 

Soon  after  this  disturbance  at  Little  York,  we 
were  invited  to  attend  a  similar  ^^  tea  partif'^  at 
Fort  George,  which  we  captured  on  the  27th  of 
May.  There,  as  at  Little  York,  the  enemy  find- 
ing resistance  useless,  spiked  their  guns,  fired 
their  magazine,  and  abandoned  the  place.  We 
burnt  all  the  public  buildings,  stores,  &c.  The 
loss  of  the  Americans  at  this  time  was  small, 
when  compared  to  that  of  the  British. 


CHAPTER  Xlir 


Shortly  after  the  battle  at  Fort  George,  Capf. 
Elliot  was  ordered  with  his  detachment  to  Lake 
Erie,  and  I  volunteered  to  go  with  him.  Wo 
left  Fort  Niagara  on  the  3d  of  July,  1813,  and 
proceeded  by  land  to  Schlosser,  a  little  above 


110 


BUNNELL'S 


the  Falls  of  Niagara,  and  from  thence  to  Buffalo. 
There  being  no  vessels  to  receive  us,  we  procee- 
ded up  the  Lake  in  open  boats,  and  after  a  tedi- 
ous and  troublesome  passage,  arrived  at  Eric,  a 
place  pleasantly  situated  on  the  south  side  of 
Lake  Erie.  We  sailed  on  the  29th  of  July  for 
Put-in-Bay,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Erie.  It  would 
seem  that  it  was  Commodore  Perry's  intention 
to  bring  the  enemy  to  a  general  engagement,  and 
''  settle  the  business"  at  once  by  a  bold  and  de- 
cisive blow. 

We  lay  in  Put-in-Bay  for  some  time,  exerci- 
sing ourselves  by  firing  at  a  mark,  and  prepar- 
ing our  vessels  in  the  best  manner  possible  lor 
tlie  cpming  afl'ray.  On  the  fifth  of  September, 
the  British  flfet  not  making  their  appearance, 
we  proceeded  oft'  Maiden,  to  see  what  they 
were  about.  We  found  them  preparing  for  the 
fun  as  well  as  ourselves.  Their  new  ship  De- 
troit appeared  to  be  in  great  forwardness,  and 
the  rest  of  their  squadron  ready  for  sea.  Some 
of  our  officers  thought  it  best  to  engage  them  at 
once,  before  they  were  prepared.  "  No,"  said 
our  brave  and  generous  commander,  "I  will  take 
no  advantage  of  them,  but  wait  until  they  get 
in  readiness,  and  meet  them  fairly  and  openly 
on  the  lake.  I  feel  the  utmost  confidence  in 
my  crew  and  officers,  and  know  they  can  fight, 
and  do  bfelieve  that  we  can  beat  the  enemy 
without  taking  any  dishonorable  advantage  of 
them." 

We  returned  to  Put-in-Bay,  and  the  second 
day,  (Friday)  was  the  memorable  and  ever  to  be 
remembered  tenth  of  {September,  1813.  The  sun 
rose  io  all  his  glory — but  before  it  set,  many  a 


wmmim^mmif^ 


TRAVELS. 


Ill 


iuffalo. 
irocee- 
a  tedi- 
Eric,  a 
side  of 
uly  for 
would 
tent  ion 
nt,  and 
ind  de- 

fxerci- 
prepar- 
ible  for 
tember, 
tarance, 
at  they 
for  the 
lip  De- 
;s9,  and 

Some 
them  at 
o,"  said 
vill  take 
ley  get 
openly 
jnce  in 
in  fight, 

enemy 
tage  of 


brave  tar  on  both  sides  was  doomed  to  a  watery 
grave,  and  many  a  jovial  soul  who  had  'Med  the 
merry  dance  on  the  light  fantastic  toe,"  the 
evening  previous,  never  danced  again — unless 
indeed  we  have  our  frolics  after  death. 

The  first  intelligence  we  received  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  enemy's  squadron,  was  from  the 
man  at  the  mast  head — "  Sail  ho !" — An  officer 
of  the  deck  replied,  "  where  away  1"  "  Off  Rat- 
tlesnake Island.^'  Before  the  officer  had  time 
to  inquire  what  she  looked  like, — the  man  bate- 
led  out  again — "  Sail  ho  ! — sail  ho — six  sail  in 
sight  sir."  As  if  by  instinct,  every  soul  at  once 
exclaimed — '*  The  enemy  is  in  sight." — All  was 
bustle  and  hurry,  but  no  confusion.  The  signal 
was  made  to  weigh  the  anchors,  which  was 
done  with  surprising  alacrity.  We  had  sixty 
fathoms  of  cable  out,  and  it  was  not  more  than 
fifteen  minutes  before  we  had  our  sails  set  and 
anchors  up.  The  wind  was  ahead,  and  the  ene- 
my to  the  windward,  but  in  fifteeen  minutes  af- 
ter we  had  got  fairly  under  way,  the  wind  shift- 
ed to  the  opposite  point  of  compass,  whicli 
brought  us  to  the  windward.  v. 

Commodore  Perry  ordered  his  flag  to  be  hoi|ii^' 
cd.  We  knew  this  flag  was  on  board,  but  none 
of  us  knew  what  the  motto  was,  until  it  was  un- 
furled to  the  breeze — when  we  discovered  the 
dying  words  of  the  brave  Lawrence — "  DON'T 
GIVE  UP  THE  SHIP !" 

This  flag  was  eighteen  feet  long  and  nine 
broad — painted  blue — the  letters  on  it  very  large 
and  white.  When  it  was  unfurled,  the  whole 
sq  uadron  gave  three  cheers.  Every  soul  seemed 
animated  by  one  feeling. 


-T;*. 


iptfii"!  Ill  I  "r'w" 


112 


BUNNELL'S 


^r 


All  were  busy  in  getting  every  thing  in  the 
beet  possible  order  for  the  battle — the  shot  were 
got  up  trom  below — the  guns  well  loaded  and 

? rimed — and  all  was  in  complete  readiness.— 7 
'he  drums  beat  to  quarters,  and  every  man  re- 
paired to  his  station.  The  words  "  Silence — 
stand  to  your  quarters !''  were  given,  and  the 
signal  to  form  a  line.  The  wind  was  light,  and 
our  line  was  yoon  formed,  when  we  bore  down 
upon  tiie  enemy  in  perfect- order,  as  follows  : — 

AMERICAN  SQUADRON. 


I.  Lawrence,  with 

20  guns, 

> 

2.  Caledonia, 

«    do. 

3.  Niagara, 

20   do. 

4.  Somers, 

2    do. 

5.  Sloop  Trip, 

1    do. 

6.  Scorpion, 

2   do. 

7.  Tigress, 

1    do. 

,                   , 

8.  Porcupine, 

1.    do. 

V                K          ,           ■                  1 

9,  Ariel, 

3.    do. 

.'   ,■;•',■■'   ■■■    ■  '■  ■'-, 

Total  No.  of  guns, 

53 

BRITISH  SQUADRON. 

to.  Detroit, 

19   do. 

;   '_      ■  ,<>      .,, 

11.  Queen  Charlotte, 

19   do. 

.■■,.■-'-•■' '.'  '. 

12.  Lady  Provost^ 

14   do. 

13.  Chippewa  Schr. 

1    do. 

&  2  swivels. 

14.  Brig  Hunter, 

12    do. 

15.  Sloop  Little  Belt, 

1    do. 

&  3  swiveli*. 

Total,  66  5 

There  being  only  a  light  wind,  we  oeared  tb« 


■w 


ig  in  thft 
shot  were 
»aded  and 
idiness.— 7 
|r  man  re- 
Silence — 
1,  ami  the 
light,  and 
lore  down 
Hows : — 


swivels, 
swivelni. 

m 

\ 

ared  ^« 


*\ 


if 


TBAVEL& 


113 


HV' 


rnemy  very  slowly,  which  gave  us  a  little  lime 
for  rellection.  Such  a  scene  as  this,  creates  in 
one's  mind  feelings  not  easily  described.  '  The 
word  "  siicMcc^^  was  again  given — we  stood  in 
awtul  impatience — not  a  word  was  spoken — 
not  a  sound  heard,  except  now  and  then  an  or- 
der to  trim  a  sail,  and  the  boatswain's  shrill  whis- 
tle. It  seemed  like  the  awful  silence  that  pre- 
cedes an  earthquake.  Tiiis  was  a  time  to  try 
the  stoutest  heart.  My  pulse  beat  quick — all 
nature  .seemed  wrapped  in  awful  suspense — the 
dart  of  death  hung  as  it  were  trembling  by  a 
single  hair,  and  no  one  knew  on  whose  head  it 
would  fall.  At  length  there  was  a  gun  fired 
from  the  Detroit,  and  tlie  action  commenced.  A 
gentle  zephyr  had  wafted  us  near  the  enemy, 
and  then  died  away — audit  seemed  asifo/<i 
Boreas  had  suspended  all  his  operations  to  view 
the  light.  Our  all  was  at  stake.  America  had  * 
never  before  had  an  opportunity  since  she  be- 
came a  nation,  of  meeting  squadron  to  squad- 
ron. 

No  sooner  had  the  first  gun  been  fired  from 
the    Detroit,    tlian    they  opened  a   tremendous 
fire  from    their  whole  line,  of  round,  grape  arfS 
canister  shot.     The  ScGrjiionj  Tigress  and  4(i(^'>. 
rial,  having  long  guns,  returned  their  fire •^vith     '" 
considerable  effect.     Our  vessel  (the  Lawrence) 
carried  20  guns- -ten   on  each  side — eighteietuii^ 
thirty-two     pound    carronades,    and   two  long,Y^. 
nines.     My  comrades  fell  on   all  sides  of  mc.-T^*.' 
One   manj  who  stood  next   to  me,   was   mdw? 
shockingly  wounded — having  both  of  his  legs 
shot  off,  and  a  number  of  the   spikes  from   the 
Itulirark  dix)vo  into  his  body.     He  was  carried 

8 


i.  * 


% 


■k 


MMHtti 


114 


BUNNELL'S 


below,  and  survived  until  he  heard  victory  pro- 
claimed— he  then  exclaimed,  "  I  die  in  peace,'* 
ajpd  immediately  expired. 

The  whole  of  the  enemy's  line  kept  up  an  in- 
cessant fire,  and  our  impatience  became  almost 
insupportable,  but  our  ever  watchful  Commodore 
knew  what  was  best  to  be  done,  and  ordered  the 
long  gun  to  be  manned,  and  fired  ;  it  was  done  in 
an  instant,  and  the  shot  reached  the  enemy. — 
We  kept  up  a  fire  with  it  for  a  few  minutes, 
when  an  order  from  our  commander  put  every 
man  in  motion — ''Standby" — a  second  inter- 
vened— "Fire."  I  do  not  think  there  was 
more  than  a  second's  variation  in  the  whole 
broad  side — every  gun  seemed  to  speak  at 
pnce. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  give  a  perfect  detail  of 
every  trivial  transaction  that  took  place  after 
we  began  to  fire  ;  that  would  be  supererogation. 
I  paid  particular  attention  to  the  gun  which  I 
bad  charge  of,  and  loaded  and  fired  as  fast 
as  possible,  and  at  one  time  in  a  great  hurry, 
shoved  in  a  crowbar^  and  I  found  after  the  ac- 
tion was  over  that  it  did  its  duty  on  board  the 
Detroit,  by  cutting  away  three  shrouds  of  her 
main  rigging.  :"^ 

At  last  my  gun  got  so  warm  that  it  jumped 
entirely  out  of  its  carriage,  which  rendered  it 
vseless.  Five  of  my  men  out  of  eight  were 
either  killed  or  wounded.  I  went  to  the  next 
gun  aqd  found  there  but  one  man  left,  but  by  the 
assistance  of  my  three  she  was  soon  made  to 
pjay  again.  I  could  now  only  hear  an  occasion- 
al gun  fired  from  our  vessel.  I  looked  up  to 
iieie  if  our  flag  was  still  flying,  and  with  pleaaurt 


TRAVELS. 


115 


tory  pro- 
peace," 

up  an  in- 
le  almost 
nmodore 
[lered  the 
s  done  in 
jnemy. — 
minutes, 
ut  every 
nd  inter- 
lere  was 
le  whole 
speak   at 

detail  of 
iace  after 
erogatior. 

which  I 
d  as  fast 
at  hurry, 
r  the  ac- 
board  the 

s  of  her 

[t  jumped 
idered  it 
jht  were 
the  next 
[ut  by  the 

made  to 
)ccasioD- 
id  up  to 

pleaaurc 


beheld,  partly  obscured  by  smoke,  the  star 
spangled  banner  yet  waving,  and  heard  Perry 
exclaim,  "  Man  the  boat." 

I  look  ed  along  the  deck,  and  such  a  sight  at 
any  other  time  would  have  made  me  shudder, 
but  now  in  the  height  of  action,  I  only  thought  to 
say  to  myself,  "  poor  souls !"  The  deck  was  in 
a  shocking  predicament.  Death  had  been  very 
busy.  It  was  one  continued  gore  of  blood  and 
carnage — the  dead  and  dying  were  strewed  in 
every  direction  over  it — for  it  was  impossible 
to  take  the  wounded  below  as  fast  as  they  fell. 

There  were  four  embarked  in  the  small  boat 
with  Perry,  and  six  remained  on  board  the 
Lawrence.  These  ten  were  all  that  remained 
unhurt  out  of  upwards  of  one  hundred.  There 
was  one  brave  fellow  by  the  name  of  Bird,  who 
was  mortally  wounded,  but  refused  to  leave  the 
deck  as  long  as  he  could  be  of  the  least  service. 

On  board  the  Niagara,  to  which  vessel  Perry 
went  in  the  height  of  the  battle,  and  through  an 
incessant  fire  from  the  enemy,  there  was  at  this 
time  but  one  killed  and  three  wounded.  Perry 
made  the  signal  to  close  with  the  enemy — we 
made  sail  for  that  purpose,  and  were  soon  in 
close  contact  with  the  British,  and  the  action  was 
renewed  with  great  vigor.  The  only  words  I 
recollect  of  hearing  Perry  say  were — "Take 
good  aim  my  boys,  dont  waste  your  shot." 

The  smoke  was  so  dense  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  see  the  enemy — but  wc  were  so  close 
*  to  them,  that  by  firing  on  a  level  we  could  not 
miss — their  vessel  being  so  much  higher  out  of 
water  than  ours.  The  Lawrence  struck  ber 
colors  foi>  a  little  time,  and  then  hoisted  tbeni 


US 


BUNNELL  S 


%> 


I  stooped  down  to  get  a  shot,  and  accidentairj 
put  my  hand  on  a  small  brass  swivel,  (it  was 
nine  inches  long  and  would  carry  about  a  two 
pound  ball;)  it  struck  me  in  an  instant  that  it  would 
be  a  handsome  presant  for  "John  BulF' — so 
I  rammed  it  into  my  gun  and  let  it  go — it  was 
found  after  the  action  on  board   the   Detroit. 

[This  circumstance  gave  rise  to  the  following 
anecdote  between  Admiral  Barclay-  and  Commo- 
dore Perry: — "My  fleet"  said  Barclay,  "is 
yours — 1  am  forced  to  surrender,  but  it  is  no 
disgrace  to  me — I  have  not  dishonored  my  flag — 
I  am  overpowered — but  you  have  not  acted  up 
to  the  laws  of  nations — there  uas  a  crowbar 
and  small  brass  swivel  fired  firom  your  vessel  on 
board  of  mine.  Your  men  did  not  fight  like  merif 
but  like  ti^ers.'^^  "  What  can  you  expect,"  said 
Perry,  "from  a  nation  young  in  military  tac- 
tics,— my  men  are  all  raw  Yankees,  and  fire 
very  carelessly — they  do  not  care  who  they 
hit."] 

The  action  raged  with  great  fury  on  both  sides 
for  some  time,  when  Perry,  finding  that  our  am- 
munition began  to  grow  short,  resolved  to  make 
one  finishing  blow.  He  ran  down  with  the  inten- 
,tion  of  boarding,  but  the  Queen  Charlotte  had 
run  afoul  of  the  Detroit,  which  rendered  her  use- 
less, as  she  could  not  fire  at  us  without  killing 
their  own  men — while  our  shot  took  effect  in 
both  of  them.  Our  flag  was  once  shot  away, 
which  produced  three  cheers  from  the  enemy — 
but  they  were  sadly  mistaken — it  was  soon  hois- 
ted again.  In  short,,  after  a  bloody  and  well 
contested  conflict  of  three  hours  and  forty 
eight  minutes,  the  undaunted  Union  of  Great 
Britain  come  ilown. 


^- 


w^mm 


^ 


TRAVELS. 


in 


(( i 


IS 


[During  the  action  a  shot  struck  a  man  in  the 
head,  who  was  standing  close  by  me ;  his  brains 
flew  so  thick  in  my  face,  that  I  was  for  some 
time  blinded,  and  for  a  few  moments  was  at  a 
loss  to  ascertain  whether  it  was  him  or  me  that 

was  killed. We  had  peas  boiling  for  dinner — 

our  place  for  cooking  was  on  deck,  and  during 
the  action  a  shot  had  penetrated  the  boiler,  and 
the  peas  were  rolling  all  over  the  deck, — we  had 
several  pigs  loose  on  deck,  and  I  actually  saw  one 
of  them  eating  peas  that  liad  both  his  hind  legs 
shot  off— and  a  little  dog  belonging  to  one  of  the 
oflicers,  that  was  wounded,  ran  from  one  end  of 
the  vessel  to   the  other,   howling  in  the  most 

dreadful  manner. A  hardy  old  tar  who  acted 

in  the  station  of  "  Stopperftuin^''^  (when  any  of 
the  rigging  is  partly  shot  away,  they  put  a  stop- 
per on  the  place,  to  prevent  it  from  ^  ing  away 
entirely,)  discovering  our  main  stay  partly  shot 
away,  jumped  and  began  to  put  a  stopper  on, 
and  while  in  the  act,  another  shot  cut  the  stay 
away  below  him,  which  let  him  swing  with  great 
force  against  the  mast — He  very  gravely  observ- 
ed,— "Damn  you,  if  you  must  have  it,  take  it." 
— —A  shot  from  the  enemy  struck  one  of  our 
guns,  within  a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  the  calibre ; 
little  pieces  of  metal  flew  in  every  direction,  and 
wounded  almost  every  man  at  the  piece.  One 
man  wan  filled  full  of  little  pieces  of  cast  iron, 
from  his  knees  to  his  chin,  some  not  bigger  than 
the  head  oi' a  pin,  and 
shot;  ho,  lu  uever  recovered.] 

The  •SI:  up  Little  Belt  attempted  to  make  sail . 
and   steoi'  ibr  Maiden — the  Scorpion  gave  her 
chase,  and  iired  a  "/owg"  toTtC^  at  her:  the  first 


none  larger  than  a  buck 


nb 


BUNNELL'i 


I' 


U:, 


shot  struck  close  to  her  stern — the  next  enter- 
ed her  starboard  quarter,  and  went  out  at  her 
larboard  bovr,  and  she  surrendered.  This  made 
the  victory  comfileie.    Not  a  soul  ^s^caped. 

What  a  glorious  day  to  my  country — and  how 
rejoiced  was  I  to  find  the  battle  ended — ^victory 
our  own,  and  myself  safe,  except  a  slight  wound, 
and  much  deafened.  I  did  not  recover  my  pro- 
per hearing  for  a  year  afterwards.  The  British 
squadron  surrendered  to  us  in  line,  as  follows  :— 
Detroit,  Queen  Charlotte,  Lady  Provost,  Hunter, 
Little  Belf,  Chippewa. 

We  took  as  many  prisoners  as  we  had  meii 
when  we  commenced  the  action.  (Being  in  a 
private  station,  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  as- 
certaih  the  exact  number  of  the  killed  and 
wounded.)  The  English  Commander's  ship 
Detroit  looked  like  a  slaughter-house.  General 
Harrison,  iVho  was  within  hearing,  with  his  army, 
said,  ''For  three  hours  it  was  nothing  but  one 
coBtinued  roar  of  cannon." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


After  the  battle  on  Lake  Erie,  three  others 
and  myself  were  embarked  on  board  the  schooner 
Chippewa,  with  orders  from  Com.  Perry  to 
make  the  best  of  our  way  to  Put-in-Bay.  The 
prisoners  had  been  previously  sent  on  board 
the  Niagara.  We  arrived  at  Put-in-Bay  in  the 
eyening ;  the  next  day  about  ten  o'clock,  the 
whole  squadron,  with  three  prizes,  came  into  the 


■MHHIPIHH 


VttA^iBLS. 


11^ 


harbor.  They  ^ere  all  in  a  shattered  condition 
— the  Lawrence  in  particular,  could  Scarcely 
float.  The  mastd  of  the  British  vessels  ^ere 
so  much  shattered  that  they  fell  the  first  bree26. 

[As  I  am  not  writing  a  history  of  the  War,  I 
shall  leave  it  to  others  to  state  what  happened 
after  the  action,  only  as  it  regards  myself.] 

I  was  ordered  to  remain  on  board  the  Chip- 
pewa, as  second  in  command*  She  rah 
between  Put-in-Bay  and  Detroit  as  a  packftt. — 
We  made  several  tnps — the  last  trip  we  made, 
we  had  on  board  forty  soldiers  and  their  offi- 
cers. We  proceeded  to  an  island  called  the 
"  Middle  Sisters.*'  I  saw  from  the  appearance 
of  the  weather,  tliat  we  were  going  to  have  a 
S.  W.  gale,  and  requested  the  captain  to  remain 
for  a  while,  but  he  refused,  and  we  made  sail 
and  proceeded  to  the  entrance  of  Maiden  river, 
but  the  wind  was  so  dead  ahead,  that  we  could 
not  get  into  it,  and  we  cartie  to  anchor  about 
three  miles  to  the  northward.  About  daylight 
the  next  morning,  there  sprang  up  a  severe  gale, 
and  every  thing  around  seemed  to  bid  us  pre- 
pare for  a  shipwreck.  We  thought  by  running 
down  to  an  island  called  "  Point-au-Plait,"  we 
could  there  remain  in  safety — ^but  on  arriving, 
we  found  it  impossible  to  run  close  enough  to 
the  island  to  enable  us  to  get  on  shore,  and  our 
only  alternative  was  to  scud  before  the  wind  ae 
long  as  we  could  find  sea  room.  It  blew  al- 
most a  hurricane.  I  stood  at  the  helm  thirty 
hours-^when  I  had  become  so  fatigued—- drench- 
ed with  rain,  and  going  without  sleep — that  I 
was  compelled  to  give  the  helm  to  another,  and 
take  a  little  rest. 


120 


Bunnell's 


The  violence  of  the  waves  had  stove  in  our 
cabin  windows,  and  we  were  obliged  to  stuff  bed 
blankets  in  them  to  prevent  the  vessel  Irom  fill- 
ing. 

This  was  the  third  day  of  the  gale,  and  I 
knew  by  the  distance  we  had  sailed,  that  wc 
must  be  near  the  lower  end  of  the  lake.  There 
was  not  a  person  on  board  that  knew  how  to 
take  the  vessel  over  the  rapids  ;  consequently  wc 
concluded  to  come  to  anchor  near  the  mouth  of 
Buffalo  creek,  and  remain  until  the  next  morn- 
ing, and  then  get  a  pilot  from  the  shore.  Wc 
had  only  a  small  key  anchor,  weighing  about 
200  lbs.  The  gale  had  considerably  abated, 
and  ^o  long  as  it  should  remain  so,  this  anchor 
would  be  sufficient ;  and  should  it  commence 
blowing  with  greater  violence,  before  morning, 
we  resolved  to  let  her  drag  it  until  she  should 
get  below  the  reef,  into  the  eddy,  and  then  to 
land  on  Buffalo  beach,  which  would  be  the  means 
of  saving  all  our  lives,  if  not  the  vessel. 

About  twelve  o'clock  at  nighl,  the  gale  was 
renewed  with  greater  violence  than  ever — the 
anchor,  as  we  expected,  did  not  hold  ten  min- 
utes. As  soon  as  the  vessel  began  to  drift,  the 
Captain  (who,  by  the  bye,  was  more  of  an  offi- 
cer tlian  a  sailor,)was  alarmed,  and  ordered  the 
cable  and  mainmast  to  be  cut.  The  latter  would 
have  endangered  the  lives  of  half  on  board,  and 
the  former  would  have  run  the  vessel  on  Buffa- 
lo reef,  where  the  sea  was  breaking  higher  than 
our  mast-heads,  and  there  would  not  have 
been,  probably,  a  single  soul  saved. 

In  a  moment  I  discovered  our  danger,  and  ex- 
postulated with  the  Captain ;  but  it  was  in  vain. 


f 


TBAVBLfl. 


121 


I  knew  my  life,  as  well  as  those  of  all  on  board, 
was  in  iminent  danger ;  and  I  saw  no  other  al- 
ternative than  to  take  the  command  myself.  I 
represented  our  situation  to  the  officers  on  board, 
who  sanctioned  my  determination.  1  took  a  pis- 
tol in  my  hand,  (which  by  the  way  was  not  load- 
ed,) and  threatened  to  shoot  tlie  first  man  who 
should  disobey  my  orders.  Wait,  said  I,  a  few 
moments,  and  you  shall  all  get  on  shore  without 
wetting  your  feet.  '•  1  shall  report  you  for  a 
mutineer,"threatened  the  Captain.  I  cannot  help 
it,  I  replied  ;  my  life  irs  dear  to  me,  and  I  wish 
to  preserve  the  lives  of  others  on  board. — 
There  was  a  paymaster  on  board  who  did 
not  put  confidence  enough  in  me  to  pay  atten- 
tion to  what  I  told  him,  and  when  the  vessel  be- 
gan to  strike  heavy,  was  so  much  frightened 
that  he  jumped  overboard — we  never  saw  him 
again — he  was  the  only  person  that  was  either 
lost  or  hurt.  In  a  few  minutes,  the  vessel  was 
drove  upon  the  beach,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
below  Buffalo  creek,  and  we  all  landed  safe  on 
shore,  and  the  next  morning  I  went  to  Buffalo, 
where  I  remained  until  Com.  Perry  and  Admi- 
ral Barclay  came  down  from  Eric. 

At  this  place  they  partook  of  a  public  dinner, 
and  I  managed  a  field  piece,  and  fired  for  the 
toasts.  This  was  the  last  time  I  ever  saw  Cora. 
Perry ;  he  told  me  that  in  him  I  should  always 
find  a  friend.  I  was  soon  afterwards  sent  on 
board  the  schooner  Porcupine,  which  was  or- 
dered to  Presqueisle,  where  we  remained  du- 
ring the  winter.  The  most  of  our  crew  re-en- 
tered for  two  years — took  their  advance  pay,and 
spent  it  like  jovial   souls.     This  winter  I  was 


'■Vf*-: 


£ 


"WPI^WPW 


m 


BOimBLL'S 


:<i* 


^'nicely''  trapanned  into  a  marriage.  One 
night  we  had  a  sailor^ ^dance,  and  ^^blowed  it 
out*^  until  nearly  morning.  We  were  in  high 
glee,  and  all  care  was  forgotten  around  the  flow- 
ing howl.  I  thought  there  was  something  yet 
wanting  to  complete  our  mirth,  and  proposed  a 
wedding.  I  stood  as  priest  and  married  two 
couple — then  came  my  turn.  There  was  an 
old  man  sitting  hy  the  fire  smoking  his  pipe, 
and  I  asked  him  to  marry  me, — he  drew  a  book 
from  his  pocket,  and  went  through  with  the 
ceremony  in  due  form,  and  this  being  the  Jinale 
of  the  evening's  performance,  we  soon  dispersed. 
The  next  morning  I  saw  the  old  man  at  the 
commissar) 's  office,  when  he  very  politely  han- 
ded me  a  certificate  of  marriage ! — He  was  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  I  had  been  lawfully 
married  *********!  I  if^ras 
thunder-struck — at  first  I  could  not  believe  it, 
but  so  it  proved  to  be,  and  I  was  obliged  to 
make  the  best  of  a  "  bad  bargain.'* 

In  the  spring  I  joined  the  schooner  Scorpion, 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Turner,  and  sailed  for 
lake  Huron.  We  waited  in  Detroit  until  the 
squadron  arrived,  and  then  proceeded  to  Mich- 
illimackinac.  We  anchored  before  the  town, 
where  we  lay  several  days,  and  then  disembar- 
ked, and  after  a  destructive  engagement  of  nearly 
two  hours,  we  were  compelled  to  retreat,  with 
the  loss  of  many  of  our  brave  fellows — and 
among  the  rest,  the  valiant  Major  Croaghn. 

Soon  after  this,  we  captured  the  schooner 
Nancy,  which  the  enemy  had  hauled  up  a  river — 
taken  their  guns  on  shore — built  a  block  house, 
and  trere  determined  to  defend  themselves  to 


mm 


TRAVELS. 


li$ 


the  last.  We  however  played  upon  them  so 
warmly  with  our  gunn,  that  they  set  fire  to  the 
ficliooner,  blew  up  the  block  house,  and  retreated. 
The  English  now  had  no  vessel  on  this  lake. 

We  proceeded  up  the  river  St.  Marys,  and 
took  a  4own  of  the  same  name,  on  lake  Superi- 
or. The  squadron  sailed  for  Erie,  and  left  the 
Tigress  and  Scorpion  on  this  lake  to  intercept 
the  fur  traders.  The  English  were  not  so  sim- 
ple as  to  let  two  small  vessels  rule  this  lake, 
but  took  advantage  of  this  blunder  of  our  com- 
mander,  to  be  revenged  for  the  loss  of  their  na- 
vy. We  remained  together  on  this  lake  for 
some  time,  and  several  times  narrowly  escaped 
shipwreck.  One  day  we  were  separated  for 
some  hours,  but  came  in  sight  again  about  sun- 
down. We  were  about  ten  miles  distant  from 
each  other,  and  the  wind  being  light,  both  ves- 
sels came  to  anchor. 

About  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  there  came 
up  a  very  severe  thunder  storm,  and  in  the  midst 
of  it  we  thought  we  heard  guns.  The  next  mor-^ 
ning  the  Tigress  sailed — hoisted  the  American 
flag,  and  was  standing  down  for  us.  Something 
told  me  that  all  was  not  right.  I  communicated 
my  suspicions  to  the  rest  of  the  crew,  and  they 
only  laughed  at  me.  They  said  "  the  English 
have  no  vessels  on  this  lake,  and  wliat  have  we 
to  fearT'  While  we  were  discussing  the  sub- 
ject, the  Tigress  having  got  across  our  bow, 
fired  a  twenty-four  pounder,  and  immediately 
boarded  us  with  twenty  soldiers,  twelve  sailors, 
and  about  one  hundred  Indians.  We  were  all 
taken  prisoners  without  firing  a  gun.       ' 

The  enemy  had  previously  taken  the  Tigress, 


■*^'>^.,,^ 


124 


bunngllV 


after  a  ehort  but  bloody  conflict,  in  which  Capt. 
Champlain  was  badly  wounded,  and  out  of  twen- 
ty men,  nine  were  cither  killed  or  wounded. 

We  were  taken  to  Michilliniackinac,  and  con- 
fined in  the  fort.  [We  here  learnt  the  fate  of 
ponie  of  those  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  tlu;  In- 
dians at  the  time  we  attacked  this  place.  They 
pcalped  six  who  had  fallen  mortally  wounded, 
and  inhumanly  butchered  a  surgeon  who  had 
been  left  on  the  lield  as  dead ;  lhe;y  took  him, 
while  the  vital  spark  was  yet  visible,  cut  ort" both 
his  hands,  fastened  them  on  slicks,  and  stuck 
*hem  up  at  each  end  of  the  grave  of  an  Indian 
chief  who  had  been  killed  during  the  engage- 
ment.] 

M'y  old  Irish  wife,  at  this  time,  I  found  to  be 
of  great  service  to  me.  The  commander  of  the 
garrison  was  an  Irishman,  and  had  been  acquaint- 
ed with  her  connexions  in  Ireland.  Through 
their  intimacy,  I  received  many  favors,  and  a 
great  deal  of  indulgence. 

We  remained  at  Michillimackinac  ashort  time, 
and  were  then  embarked  on  board  the  Scorpi- 
on and  sent  across  lake  Huron,  and  fi'om  thence 
to  lake  8imcoe,  which  we  crossed.  This 
brought  us  within  about  a  hundred  miles  of  Lit- 
tle York,  which  distance  we  were  compelled  to 
travel.  I  entered  little  York  tl's  time  with  far 
different  feelings  from  what  f  did  two  years  pre- 
vious— then  I  marched  in  virlorious  to  the  tune 
of  Yankee  Doodle,  but  now  I  was  a  prisoner  of 
war. 

At  Little  York  our  company  was  augmented 
by  several  men  who  had  been  taken  in  differ- 
€Qt  engagements.     We  started  for  Kingston  by 


VRATELS. 


121^ 


land.  They  chose  not  to  send  us  by  water, 
they  said,  for  fear  of  our  Yankee  tricks.  There 
were  sixty  of  us.  We  were  guarded  by  Indians 
and  soldiers,  who  were  relieved  every  two 
hours.  We  travelled  on  until  vvc  came  to  Ly- 
on's tavern,  90  miles  Irom  Little  York,  where 
there  was  an  officer  at  sick  quarters,  and  he  of- 
fered uiy  w;//c' great  wages  if  slie  w^ould  stay  and 
take  care  of  him.  I  persuaded  her  to  stop,  and 
she,  being  almost  worn  out,  after  considerable 
hesitation,  consented — and  I  inwardly  rejoiced. 
The  olificcr  gave  me  ten  dollars,  and  1  bid  fare- 
well to  "  Poor  Pollj^'  and  1  have  never  seen  her 
fcince. 

The  next  morning  we  proceeded  on  our  jour- 
ney, and  soon  came  to  the  lake  shore.  The 
sight  of  lake  Ontario  brought  to  my  mind  the 
value  of  liberty,  and  from  tliat  time  my  whole 
study  was  how  to  gain  it.  I  thought  if  I  could 
get  a  few  good  trusty  companions  and  a  boat, 
wo  might  easily  evade  the  vigilance  of  our  guard 
and  cross  the  lake.  I  soon  got  five  to  join  me. 
We  travelled  several  days,  until  we  came  near 
Forty  Mile  Point — forty  miles  from  Kingston. 
Here  the  lake  was  not  very  wide,  and  we  resol- 
ved to  put  our  plan  into  execution  the  first  op- 
portunity. 

One  day,  about  three  o'clock,  we  saw  two  ca- 
noes on  the  beach.  We  stopped  about  two 
miles  from  this  place  to  remain  during  the  night 
— we  were  all  put  in  a  barn.  As  soon  as  every 
thing  was  quiet,  we  pushed  off  a  board  from  the 
back  side  of  the  barn— crept  slily  out,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  guard  house — the  guard  were  all 
asleep— we  entered — equipped  ourselres  with, 


i 


na 


BUNNELL'S 


light  arms,  and  started  for  the  place  where  we 
had  seen  the  canoes,  where  we  arrived  about 
sunrise;  hut  to  our  great  mortification, the  ca- 
noes were  gone ! 

What  was  now  to  be  done,  we  did  not  know  ; 
but  after  a  short  deliberation,  we  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  was  best  for  one  of  us  to  go  to 
a  house  near  by  and  purchase  some  provisions, 
and  then  task  our  wits  for  a  plan  to  effect  our 
escape.  I  was  selected  to  go  for  the  provisions. 
I  found  no  one  at  the  house  except  an  elderly 
lady  and  a  young  girl.  I  asked  them  if  they 
would  sell  me  a  little  pork  and  bread  ?  The 
old  lady,  after  eying  me  for  a  while,  with  a  very 
stern  countenance,  replied — ''  No — you  get  no 
bread  nor  ment  here — get  out  of  the  house  in 
an  instant,  or  we  will  put  you  out ;  you  are  one 
of  those  Yankees  that  went  past  here  the  other 
day,  and  you  have  deserted  from  your  guard."' — 
Dont  be  quite  so  fast,  old  lady,  I  replied.  I  wan- 
ted your  provisions,  and  was  willing  to  pay  you 
your  price  for  tbem ;  but  since  you  are  so  unac- 
commodating and  abusive,  I  will  have  some  if 
there  are  any  in  your  house,  and  damn  the  cent 
will  you  get  for  them  !  I  drew  a  pistol  from 
my  bosom,  and  ordered  them  to  produce  me 
something  to  eat,  in  an  instant.  The  old  hdy 
screamed,  and  the  girl  begged  that  I  would  spare 
her  life.  Do  not  be  alarmed,  said  I,  for  your 
lives — '1  do  not  fight  with  women — but  necessity, 
and  your  rude  behavior,  compel  me  to  use  rough 
means.  "  For  God's  sake,''  said  the  old  lady, 
"  dont  murder  us,  and  you  shall  have  any  thing 
there  is  in  the  house."  You  are  unacquainted, 
mj  good  lady,  said  f,  with  the  character  of  an  A- 


TBAVBL4. 


127 


(lerc  wc 
d  about 
,  the  ca- 

tknow ; 
to  the 
to  go  to 
)visionfi, 
feet  our 
)visions. 
elderly 
if  thev 
?     The 
h  a  very 
get    no 
lOuse  in 
are  one 
he  other 
lard."' — 
I  wan- 
pay  you 
so  unac- 
some  if 
he  cent 
)1  from 
uce   me 
d  lidy 
d  spare 
or  your 
cessity, 
?e  rough 
d  lady, 
thing 
iiainted, 
>f  an  A- 


merican  seaman.  I  am  sorr^  I  have  been  so 
impolite.  If  you  can  let  me  have  some  provis- 
ions, without  distressing  your  family,  you  will 
much  oblige  me,  but  if  not,  I  shall  take  my  leave. 
"  I  believe,"  said  the  old^lady,  "I  have  a  wrong 
idea  about  the  Americans — I  am  right  from 
England,  and  have  been  taught  to  consider  them 
as  an  inhuman  and  rebellious  set  of  savages — 
but,  although  you  have  frightened  me  almoet 
out  of  my  senses,  I  must  confess,that  I  see  nothing 
very  aavage  in  your  appearance.  Are  you  a- 
lone?"  No  madam,  I  have  some  companionsjon 
the  Lake  shore,  and  wish  to  purchase  a  canoe 
to  cross  the  Lake  in,  for  which  I  will  pay  almost 
any  price.  *'  My  husband,"  said  she,  ''  has  gone 
up  the  Lake,  to  a  small  island,  on  which  we 
keep  our  hogs — he  will  return  about  sun  down, 
and  perhaps  he  will  sell  you  one."  She  went 
into  an  adjoining  room,  and  in  a  few  moments,  re- 
turned vvitli  about  ten  pounds  of  pork  and  a 
lai^e  loaf  of  bread — tor  which  I  gave  her  two 
dollars. 

I  returned  to  my  ship-mates,  related  to  them 
my  rencounter  with  the  ladies,  and  we  had  a 
hearty  laugh  over  a  dinner  of  raw  pork  and 
bread — which  a  good  appetite  rendered  very  de- 
licious and  palatable. 

We  waited  very  impatiently  for  the  return  of 
the  old  gentleman  with  his  canoes.  It  was  our 
intention,  if  we  could  not  purchase  one,  to  get 
it  some  other  way,  but  our  plan  was  entirely 
frustrated.  On  the  return  of  the  owner,  wo 
found  he  had  six  men  with  him  well  armed. 

"We  however  proceeded  to  the  house  for  the 
purpose  of  purchasing  one  of  the  canoes.     I 


■'Wk'n'Mr^ 


1S8 


DUKNELL  « 


knocked,  and  the  old  man  came  to  the  door.  I 
asked  l)im  if  he  would  sell  one  of  his  boats.  He 
»aid  he  could  not,  for  it  would  subject  him  to  a 
fine  and  imprisonment  as  a  traitor.  He  wished 
us  well,  and  said  he  was  no  enemy  to  the  Ame- 
rican i^overnment.  He  i^'-avi*  us  each  a  drink  of 
whiskey,  and  we  parted  in  friendship  ;  but  had 
not  his  force  been  rather  too  lari^e,  we  should 
not  have  come  to  so  amicable  an  arrang^ement. 

We  travelled  on  about  one  mile,  and  took 
lodgings  in  the  woods.  I  never  slept  sounder  in 
my  life  than  I  did  this  night,  with  a  stone  for  a 
nillow,  and  the  heavens  for  a  coverina:.  In  the 
morning,  we  proceeded  along  the  lake  shore, 
about  eight  miles,  when  our  forebodings  were 
for  ii  moment  dispelled  by  the  discovery  of  a 
small  skiiV  lying  on  the  beach.  On  examining  it, 
however,  we  found  it  would  carry  only  three  of 
us.  We  drew  cuts  to  determine  which  three 
should  remain  and  trust  to  fortune  for  another 
chance.  I  was  one  of  tlie  unfortunate  three 
whose  lot  it  was  to  remain.  We  divided  our 
provisions  with  tliose  who  were  to  sail — assist- 
ed them  to  launch  theii*  skiff— wished  them  a 
pleasant  voyage — and  they  pulled  for  the  oppo- 
site shore. 

My  two  companions  and  myself  travelled  along 
the  beach  about  two  miles,  when  we  found  ano- 
ther skiff,  large  enough  to  carry  us  all ;  but  we 
dared  not  take  it,  for  the  house  stood  not  more 
than  100  yards  from  the  spot,  and  besides,  there 
were  two  men  chopping  close  by.  We  conclu- 
ded to  secrete  ourselves  until  they  were  all  snug 
in  bed — then  to  take  the  boat  and  make  off  as 
fotft  aa  possible. 


TRAVELS. 


129 


Towards  evening  the  two  clioppers  took  tho 
boat  and  rowed  it  away ;  but  to  our  great  joy, 
they  soon  returned.  Tliey  liauled  their  boat  a 
little  out  of  water,  and  It^ft.  We  waited  with 
(he  greatest  impatience  for  sundown — at  length 
the  wished-for  hour  arrived — all  was  clear  in  the 
western  horizon,  winch  foretold  a  pleasant  day 
on  the  morrow.  At  about  half  past  nine,  every 
thing  being  still  and  quiet,  Avith  cautiou?<  steps 
we  approaciicd  the  boat,  but  found  neither  oar 
nor  paddle.  We  went  up  to  the  house  to  stnrch 
for  them.  I  found  tiie  back  door  partly  open. — 
>  iv]i\  my  two  companions  to  stand  by  it  while 
\  ere  \  and  if  I  met  with  any  difiiculty  to 
coine  to  my  assistance.  I  groped  about  for 
some  time  without  meeting  any  one — at  length 
I  came  to  the  cupboard,  where  I  dabbed  my 
hands  into  sevtTal  pans  of  milk — then  thrust 
them  into  a  bowl  of  butter,  which  I  carried  to 
my  companions,  and  then  returned  in  search  of 
something  else.  I  found  a  large  loaf  of  bread,  a 
piece  of  pork  and  some  cabbage,  all  of  which 
came  very  apprnposf^  as  we  had  eaten  nothing 
but  raw  mi  a'  for  the  last  three  days.  I  stroll- 
ed about  i'i  ''c  dark  until  I  came  to  a  door.  I 
pushed  1, 1^  ''X  opened  into  a  room  where  there 
sat  an.  m  -v.  i  t^mnll  table,  reading.  He  turned 
round,  and  o'i  may  judge  f  his  surprise  at  see- 
ing u  visitor  .  i  (liat  time  of  night.  I  did  not  give 
him  much  time  for  reflection,  before  I  presented 
him  my  pistol,  and  in  a  low  tone  of  voice,  po- 
litely informed  him  that  if  he  spoke  a  word  a- 
bovc  his  breath,  he  was  a  dead  man.  I  am  no 
highwny-man,  said  I,  nor  midnight  assassin,  but 
00  />n*  ?rican  seaman — and  I  wish  you  to  in- 


1 1 


■"mmi*''-'! 


ISO 


BUNNELL'S 


form  me  as  expeditiously  as  possible,  where  I 
can  find  the  oars  belonging  to  the  boat  lying  on 
the  beach;  you  have  no  occasion  to  make  arep!y 
— ^proceed  towards  them,  and  I  will  follow  you ; 
but  remember  the  injunction  of  silence,  and 
that  you  must  walk  sofl^y ;  the  folks  are 
asleep,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  disturb  them.  He 
obeyed  with  as  much  correctness  as  if  he  had 
been  brought  up  to  it  from  infancy,  and  1  was 
almost  led  to  believe  that  he  was  actually  dumb. 
He  stepped  ir^to  an  adjoining  room  and  got  me 
two  oars  and  "  Mle.  Now,  my  friend,  said 
I,  I  am  under  tii  sagreeable  necessity  of  ma- 
king a  prisoner  ot  you  until  I  am  fairly  afloat, 
and  Jhen  you  can  have  your  liberty  again.  We 
proceeded  to  the  skiff,  and  he  helped  get  it  a- 
noat — we  jumped  in  and  shoved  off,  and  he 
went  his  way.  i 

We  were  so  much  elated  with  the  success  of 
this  enterprise,  that  we  gave  three  cheers. — 
We  heard  some  one  on  shore  call  out,  "  bring 
back  that  skiff" — but  said  I,  you  are  too  late. 

We  arrived  at  Forty  Mile  Point  just  before 
day  light — we  landed,  and  slept  until  day-break, 
and  then  proceeded  on  our  voyage. 

This  morning  appeared  the  most  beautiful  of 
any  I  ever  saw — the  sun  rose  in  all  his  splen- 
dor— all  was  calm,  and  every  thing  seemed  to 
favor  us.  By  night,  we  expected  to  arrive  at 
Sackett's  Harbor,  and  once  more  taste  the  sweets 
of  liberty. 

We  pulled  out  with*  the  intention  of  going 
down  the  laLe  until  it  became  narrower,  and 
then  strike  across,  but  we  had  not  been  out  more 


^^mmmmm^ 


^ 


TRAVELS. 


131 


than  one  hour,  wlien  there  sprang  up  a  strong 
breeze  "  right  in  our  teeth." 

In  a  few  moments,  we  saw  three  sail  of  ves- 
sel ;  we  could  not  tell  whether  they  were  En- 
glish or  our  own  ;  if  the  latter,  all  was  well,  but 
if  the  former,  we  knew  our  case  was  a  dangerous 
one. 

The  waves  began  to  roll  very  high,  and  our 
boat  being  small,  i^he  liad  taken  a  great  deal  of 
water,  and  it  was  almost  impossible  to  keep 
her  afloat.  The  wind  increased  every  moment, 
and  to  proceed  was  no  longer  practicable,  and 
we,  though  very  reluctanlly,  bore  away  for  the 
Canada  shore.  We  landed,  after  a  great  deal 
o<  trouble,  about  two  miles  from  where  we  start- 
ed in  the  morning.  We  thought  to  remain  here 
until  the  gale  was  over,  and  then  try  il  again. — 
We  went  to  a  rise  of  ground  not  far  distant,  to 
ascertain  what  vessels  those  were  we  had  pre- 
viously seen,  and  while  sliling  there,  contempla- 
ting the  scene  before  us,  we  were  all  at  once 
surrounded  by  eight  armed  men — they  told  us 
to  consider  ourselves  prisoners — and  deliver  up 
our  arms.  Our  hopes  of  further  happiness 
were  now  in  an  instant  all  blasted.  We  were 
escorted  to  Kingston,  where  we  found  the  rest 
of  our  company ;  they  had  been  taken  three  days 
before  by  the  same  gang.  We  six  were  arraign- 
ed before  tl:e  great  General  Provost,  to  receive 
our  sentence.  The  llrst  words  he  said  were — 
"  You  are  a  fine  set  of  dam'd  rascals,  to  run 
away  from  the  guard— rob  the  inhabitants,  and 
endeavor  to  gel  ;  n  board  some  dam'd  Yankee 
frigate — what  have  you  to  say  for  yourselves?" 

9* 


152 


BUNNELL^ 


The  rest  did  not  appear  inclined  to  make  any 
reply,  and  I  ans\veie«l  as  follows : — 

Sir,  said  I,  I  considered  it  a  duly  I  owed  my 
country,  td  elude  your  vigilance  and  get  back  to 
it  if  possible ;  and  as  to  robbcM-y,  you  accuse 
us  wrongfully — weoliured  ihj  inhabitants  money 
for  all  we  toolc. 

"  VVcll,"  said  he,  "if  I  let  you  go  unpunished, 
will  you  attempt  the  like  again.'''  I  certainly 
shall,  said  I,  if  an  opportunity  presents.      **  A 

d d  brave  fellow,''  said  he,  •■'  but  we  shall 

watcli  you  for  the  future,  und  if  you  get  an  '  op- 
poitunity'  you  may  go." 

An  ollicer  took  my  name,  and  then  dismis- 
sed us.  Tlie  next  day  we  were  to  be  sent  down 
the  river  St.  Lawrence.  In  the  morning,  an 
oflicer  came  and  told  me  to  remain  until  the  last. 
After  the  rest  had  all  embarked  in  their  re- 
epective  boats,  be  put  a  pair  of  hand-cuflfs  on 
nie,  and  then  told  me  to  "  run  away  if  I  could.'* 
This  I  thought  mean  spite.  Tlie  next  day,  how- 
ever, I  got  ihem  otl'and  threw  tliem  overboard, 
but  tlicy  soon  tound  another  pair,  and  I  was 
kept  in  irons  until  1  arrived  at  Montreal.  We 
proceeded  to  Quebec,  where  we  remained  about 
three  weeks. 

We  were  then  embarked  on  board  a  small 
transport  brig,  and  sent  to  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  where  a  frigate  waited  to  convoy  twelve 
sail  to  England. 

I  was  determined  to  make  another  trial  for 
liberty.  My  plan  was  to  take  the  brig,  and 
bring  her  to  anclior  in  the  river — wait  until  the 
fleet  had  sailed,  and  then  make  our  escape. — 
This  could  be  very  easily  done,  for  there  were 


TRAVELS. 


133 


thirty-two  prisoners:,  and  only  eight  hclonged  on 
board  the  brig — inchjding  captain  and  nrate.     I 
cominunicalcd  this  plan  to  my  cojirades,  and 
Ihey  all  agrred  lo  it.     There  being  no  one  tliat 
understood  navii;alion  but  invself.  I  was  chosen 
captain.     We  waited  with  patience  until  night 
— all  were  below  except  myself  and  one  other, 
and  he  was  intoxicated.     Notwillislanding   my 
cautioning  bim,  Crom  tune  to  lime,  he  continu- 
ally kept  asking  me  what  course  1  intended  to 
steer  when  we  were  out  of  tjie  river.     He  was 
overheard  by  tlie  crew  of  the  brig — they  imme- 
diately informed  tlic  captain  oi"  our  j)lan,  and  the 
first  I  knew,  he,  together  with  his  whole  crew, 
were  well  armed,  and  we  were  forced  below, 
and  the  hatches  secured.     The  captain  hoisted 
his  flag,  u!iion  down,  as  a  signal  of  distress,  and 
fired  minulccuns  until  we  arrived  at  the  fleet. 
Thus  was  our  plan  defeated  by  the  fooli^i^iness  of 
a  debauchee.     Wo  were  put  on  board  an  Eng- 
lish ship,  and  sliortly  after^vards   sailed   under 
convoy  for  England.     After  a  passage  of  forty- 
four   days,   Ave   anivcd  at  Spitbead,  and  were 
sent  on  board  the  prison  ship.     The  next  day, 
while    walking  the  deck,  I  discovered  a  little 
boy  at  play,  about  six  years  old.     I  took  him  in 
my  arms,  and   asked  him  his  name.     "David 
Bunnell,''  said  he.     My  blood  chilled  at  this  an- 
swer.    Where  is  your  father?  inquired  I.     "He 
is  a  great  nay  oflf  in  America — I  dont  know  but 
ho  is  dead."     Where   is  your  mother'?     "She 
is  just  out  there."     Come  with  me,  my  boy,  said 
I,  I  wish  to  see  her.     He  took  me  by  the  hand 
and  led  me  to  where  she  was,  and  behold,  I  re- 
cognised  my  old  friend — the    London  laad- 


r< 


...y 


134 


DUNNELL8 


lady's  daughter.  On  beholding  me,  she  exclai- 
med— "  In  the  name  of  heaven,  David,  is  that 
you?"  Then  turning  to  her  child,  she  said — 
**  My  dear  hoy,  this  is  your  father."  I  learn- 
ed form  her  that  slie  ha«l  been  married  about 
eigliteen  months  lo  a  quarter  mai^tcr. 

One  day,  while  I  was  sitting  in  the  quarter 
master's  berth,  tlierc  came  in  a  boy  and  inform- 
ed him  that  Lieutenant  Diggins  wished  to  see 
him.  After  he  had  gone,  I  inquired  of  his  wife 
what  Diggins  it  was.  She  told  me  that  he  had 
just  arrived  from  the  West  Indies  with  his  wife, 
and  had  been  attaclied  to  this  ship.  He  was 
the  husband  of  Eliza  Berton !  I  wrote  a  note  to 
his  w,ife,  and  a  few  days  afterwards,  he  being 
absent,  she  sent  for  me  to  come  and  see  her. — 
I  went,  and  had  a  long  chat  with  her  about  old 
times.  I  returned  to  my  apartment,  and  the 
next  day,  we  were  put  on  board  the  ship  Argo, 
for  the  purpose  of  being  sent  to  Plymouth, 
and  from  thence  to  Darniooor  Prison.  There 
vvere  one  hundred  and  ten  of  us — principally 
sailors.  We  sailed  from  Plymouth,  December 
23,  1814.  One  night  we  got  into  a  higli  spreey 
and  resolved  to  keep  it  up  until  day  light.  At 
ten  o'clock  we  were  ord(Ted  to  put  out  our 
lights— we  refused.  The  sentinel  was  then 
commanded  to  enforce  the  order.  He  attempt- 
ed it,  and  one  of  the  prisoners  gave  him  a  blow 
under  the  ear,  which  brought  him  to  the  deck, 
but  he  soon  recovered,  and  gave  the  alarm  that 
the  prisoners  were  in  a  state  of  munity,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  the  whole  guard  was  in  readiness, 
with  orders  to  put  us  all  in  the  lower  hold — 
They  came  below  and  worked  until  daylight. 


V 


\. 


m-' 


M 


TRAVELS. 


135 


being 


and  did  not  get  more  than  two  thirds  of  us  down, 
and  those  like  to  have  blown  up  the  ship.  We 
dug  through  Ihe  ballast,  and  tore  down  the  bulk 
head,  which  admitted  us  into  their  store  room, 
where  we  found  two  or  three  tierces  of  old  ci- 
der in  bottles.  We  broke  the  necks  off,  drank 
the  cider,  and  threw  the  bottles  among  the  wa- 
ter casks.  We  also  found  a  large  box  of  silver 
plate.  .  ^« 

At  daylight,  two  of  the  prisoners  had  pene- 
trated to  the  magazine,  and  in  one  hour  more 
they  would  have  blown  up  the  ship.  We  were 
at  last  all  compelled  to  go  on  the  quarter  deck, 
and  officers  were  sent  below  to  ascertain  the 
damage  we  had  done.  This  box  of  plate  be- 
longed to  an  Admiral  who  had  died  in  the  West 
Indies,  and  it  was  under  the  captain's  charge  to 
deliver  to  his  family,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  re- 
ported to  him  that  considerable  of  it  was  mis- 
sing, he  ordered  us  all  to  be  searched. 

There  was  a  black  man  who  had  his  legs  com- 
pletely covered  with  silver  spoons,  lashed  on 
with  rope  yarns.  Two,  notwithstanding  the 
strict  search,  got  off  with  their  prize.  One  had 
a  silver  tea  pot  tiatted,  and  bound  under  his  arm, 
with  a  rope  yarn.  Another  had  a  dirk  about 
eight  inches  long — the  blade  was  of  the  most 
beautiful  polis^hed  steel,  and  the  handle  and 
scabbard  were  of  burnished  gold — it  could 
not  have  been  worth  less  than  seventy  or  eighty 
dollars — he  afterwards  sold  it  for  twenty. 

We  arrived  at  Plymouth  about  eight  oVlock 
in  the  morning,  and  by  ten  were  on  our  march 
for  Dartmoor  prison  about  fifteen  miles  dis- 
tant.     I  could    not ,  but  laugh  while  passing 


\ 


136 


fiVNNELL^S 


Ihrough  the  town  of  Plymoulh — the  doors  anJ 
windows  of  every  house  were  fiillcd  with  anx- 
ious eyes  to  see  the  Yankees.  There  stood  in 
one  door  a  lady  and  three  or  four  chihlren,  and 
I  heard  one  of  tliem  make  the  following  innocent 
remark  : — "  Why  ma,  tliey  talk  just  as  we  do — 
I  can  understand  evevy  thing  tliey  say." 

We  proceeded  to  tlic  ^'  half  wny  house," 
where  there  is  a  small  village,  and  slopped  to 
take  a  little  rest.  Having  a  shilling  in  my  pock- 
et, I  requested  the  captain  to  allow  nie  to  go  into 
the  tavern  and  get  a  drink  of  hcer — he  consented, 
but  sent  a  soldier  with  me.  I  called  for  tw  o  pots 
of  beer.  The  landlord  looked  at  mc  very  sharp 
for  a  few  moments,  and  tiicn  asked  me  if  I 
would*  not  like  something  to  eat.  I  told  him  I 
should,  but  that  I  had  no  more  money  than 
would  pay  for  our  beer.  "  Nevqr  mind,"  said 
he,  *^  step  into  the  other  room"— w-e  obeyed, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  he  came  in  with  bread, 
cheese,  ham,  brandy,  beer,  ^c.  which  he  sat  on 
the  table,  and  told  us  to  partake  in  welcome. — 
He  left  the  room,  and  j)reity  soon  can»e  back, 
bringing  his  wife  and  two  hllle  cliildren. 
"There,"  said  he  to  his  wife,  ''is  the  man  who 
eaved  my  life  in,  the  West  Indies" — Then  ad- 
dressing himself  to  me,  said — "  Do  you  not  know 
me  ?  I  am  the  man,  had  it  not  been  for  your 
bounty  and  goodness,  who  would  have  perished 
on  the  Island  of  St.  Martins.  I  have  since  been 
fortunate,  and  now  own  this  tavern,  and  am  doing 
very  well.  I  shall  never  forget  your  goodness 
(o  me,"  continued  he,  "  and  while  you  are  in 
prison,  if  1  can  assist  you  by  sending  you  pro- 
visions, or  in  any  other  way,  just   send  to  me, 


^: 


TRAVELS. 


137 


and 


and  it  shall  be  done.''  By  the  time  I  had  re* 
hearsed  to  him  my  misfortunes  at  8t.  Martins, 
we  were  summoned  to  maicli.  He  gave  me  a 
two  pound  note,  and  \vc  shook  hands  and  par- 
ted. 

About  sun  down  we  arrived  at  tlie  prison. — 
As  we  entered,  each  received  a  small  cattail 
matrass,  a  hammoclc,  and  two  small  blanktits. — 
W^e  were  conducted  to  prison  No.  7.  Tiiera 
are  throe  yards  whicli  contain  seven  prisons. — 
No.  1,  2,  &  3,  in  the  iirst ;  No.  4  by  itsell— which 
is  wholly  occupied  by  th^  blacks;  and  No  5, 
6,  and  7,  in  the  third.  Our  allowance  of  pro- 
visions was  barely  enough  to  keep  us  alive. — 
There  were  a  rmn)b(r  of  occupations  in  which 
a  man  might  cain  from  three  to  six  cents  a 
day,  and  tliis,  added  to  oip'  regular  rations, 
made  us  very  comfortable.  There  wfire  schools 
from  A.  B.  C.  to  the  arts  and  sciences.  Boxing, 
Dancing  and*  music,  were  tauglit  in  different 
places.  Drawing,  Sculpture,  and  Ship  building, 
were  also  taught. 

There  were,  at  the  time  I  was  there,  six 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-two  pris- 
oners— A  great  number  of  them  died  however, 
with  a  disease  similar  to  the  small  Pox.  Their 
suffering  was  most  violent,  and  when  dead  they 
would  be  one  complete  ulcerated  sore,  from 
head  to  foot.  Tliere  was  a  hospital  attached  to 
the  prison,  which  was  attended  by  a  very  hu- 
mane surgeon.  The  prisoners  almost  worship- 
ped him.  Each  prison  was  a  separate  govq^n- 
ment — had  its  code  of  laws,  and  was  gove^led 
by  a  committee,  with  a  President  at  its  head. 
We  had  our  lawyers  and  constables,  and  every 


%- 

u* 


18 


BUNNELL'S 


one  of  (he  committee  aotcd  in  the  capacity  of  a 
j'intice  of  the  peace,  and  was  nutliorized  to  take 
cognizance  of  complaints,  and  if  tlic  crime  was 
Tjrorthy  of  a  trial,  it  was  reported  to  the  whole, 
who  99.i  as  judges.  If  any  one  was  proved  guilty 
of  stealing,  swindling,  cheating  or  defrauding  his 
fellow  by  selling  his  goods  too  dear,  he  was  flog- 
ged. 

There  was  a  regular  profit  allowed  on  every 
thing  that  was  sold,  and  if  any  one  was  found 
to   deviate  from  it,  his  goods  were  confiscated. 

We  were  allowed  six  shillings  and  eight 
pence  per  month,  by  government,  which  was  paid 
by  an  agent,  who  supplied  us  with  necessary  cloth- 
ing, flis  name  was  Beesley,  and  resided  in  Lon- 
don, lie  neglected  his  duty  and  appropriated 
a  great  part  of  the  prisoner's  money  to  his  own 
use,  for  which  we  tried  him  in  efligy.  The  trial 
lasted  five  days.  The  jury  found  him  guilty, 
and  he  was  condemned  to  be  hung,  and  body 
burned.  This  sentence  was  put  in  execution 
with  great  formality.  He  was  followed  to  the 
place  of  execution  by  all  the  prisonei's,  with 
forty  instruments  of  music,  playing  the  death 
march.  One  man  in  the  garb  of  a  mininter,i 
made  his  dying  speech  and  confession.  He  ad- 
vised consuls  and  agents  for  government,  to  pro- 
fit by  his  untimely  fate,  and  never  to  betray  the 
trust  imposed  in  them.  The  drop  fell,  and  we 
let  the  effigy  hang  about  fifteen  minutes,  then 
took  it  down  and  put  it  on  a  pile  of  faggots  and 
set  fire  (o  them.  The  English  officers  and 
soldiers  witnessed  the  whole  transaction. 

I  have  heard  a  great  many  erroneous  accounts 
given  of  the  affair  which  took  place  in  the  prison 


TRAVELS. 


159 


flog- 


on  the  sixth  of  April,  1815,  and  being  an  eye 
witness,  I  will  give  a  detail  of  the  whole.     ' 

We  I'requcntly  used  to  play  a  ganje  of  ball, 
and  our  ball  would  occcasionlly  bo  knocked  over 
the  wa',1,  and  the  sentinel  would  throw  it  back; 
but  this  day  there  was  a  surly  fellow  on  post, 
and  li'2  refused  to  do  it,  and  we  resolved  to  have  it. 
iSoine  with  old  spikes,  and  others  with  knives, 
commenced  digging  a  hole  through  the  wall. — 
The  first  that  caused  the  sentinel  to  mistrust  any 
thingy  was  the  appearance  of  two  or  three  of 
the  prisoners  near  by  him,  looking  for  the  ball. 
The  moment  he  saw  them,  he  dropped  his  mus- 
ket, and  ran  and  gave  the  alarm  that  the  pris- 
oners were  breaking  out.  Capt.  Shortland,  on 
receiving  this  intelligence,  ordered  his  troops  to 
fire  at  us.  The  prison  Avails  were  so  situated 
'latthey  could  fire  from  every  point  of  compass 

once.  Tfic  prisoners  were  standing  close  to- 
gether in  each  yard.  They  fired  several  vol- 
leys, and  we  rushed  for  our  prisons,  and  be- 
ing in  sucli  a  crowd,  had  they  fired  low,  they 
would  have  killed  a  great  number,  but  the  sol- 
diers, being  more  humane  than  their  tyrarnical 
commander,  fired  high  for  the  express  purpose 
of  missing  us.  There  was  an  inquiry  inr.de  into 
the  affair,  and  the  captain  was  severely  repri- 
manded, but  this  did  not  bring  the  dead  to  life, 
nor  provide  for  the  support  of  their  wives  and 
children. 

I  was  imprisoned  December  25,  1814,  ann  wc 
received  the  news  of  peace,  January  1,  1815. — 
The  next  morning  at  sunrise,  the  American  flag 
was  hoisted  on  every  prison,  where  they  re- 
mained until  sundown. 


140 


UVNNRI.l/d 


I ':. .: 


The  first  llwit  \v<'it  inipilsoiud  woro  tlic  first 
to  be  icIpusi  (I.  Tlu  y  ('(Mumcnccd  lihcraliiig 
the  jM'isoncrs*  in  Mnrch,  Iml  I  bciitu;  nearly  \\\v, 
Inst  iniprisoncd,  did  lol  ud  onl  untd  ilw  Ihird  ol" 
July.  linnu'diiiUdy  alU  r  my  rcli.'SiHc,  I  ^^lt\rt^.'d 
lor  Plyinoiilli,  nnd  callt  d  on  my  old  iViciid,  but 
cotdd  no!  slay  lonjx,  lor  \vc  were  as  slriftly  |;"uar- 
dod  on  our  vrlurji  from  tlir  prison  as  \\r  were 
wIhmi  wc  wcnl.  About  sundown,  July  \,  wo 
rinbarkrd  on  board  liu^  \4\\\)  Lord  I'orbrs,  and 
Hailed  b)r  \\\()  I'.  S.  \  bade  adieu  lo  !-n'.!;land 
thistinu^  uilii  as  niucb  joy  as  I  did  wben  I  ran- 
HWay  Irtuu  ibcri^  in  IHI*. 

We  univcd  in  l>oslo!»  on  the  '2Hlb  day  of  July, 
1815,  ^uid  IIk'  ncxl  morniuL!;  were  all  landed. — 
I  took  a  boardinu:  boiisc  and  resolved  to  ei\)oy 
mysidl".  I  jjurchased  some  '*■  nj;w  clolbesj  "and 
"iiKcd  n>}seirout  in  slyle.'' 

I  ba(i  been  on  sbon^  bul  a  few  days,  wlien  I 
became  warndy  aKaclu'd  lo  a  very  res|ieclablc 
you?ii»-  lady,  ami  i;'ot  ber  eojisenl  lo  marry  nm  ; 
but  \V(^  pul  oir  oui'  nuplials  until  1  eould  visit 
inv  motner,  wbo  I  I;ad  learned  livc.'d  in  tlic  wes- 
tern  ])arl  oi'  N(>\v-Vorl;.  Aceordim-ly.  aCierliav- 
inuf  received  my  \vai;('s  and  pri/e  money,  wliieb 
amounted  to  a  vei-y  roiiilorhililc  sum,  I  took  a 
paeket,  I'or  Nevv-Vot'k.  'I'be  second  day  cl'ler 
wc  haib^d  wc  \\\v\  with  a  sevj're.  aeeidenl.  Our 
vessel  bad  considerable  lo  ulina;  on  deck  wbich 
Piad(^  ber  ratbc"  lop  beavy.  There  was  •.(  schoo- 
ner sailinu;  in  company  with  us,  and  the,  cap- 
tains were  in  a  strife  to  see  wdiicb  could  out 
sail.  I  saw  a  beavy  sqtndl  risin;:;  to  the  wind- 
ward, and  told  the  captain  that  he  had  betl(;r  bo 
outsailed  than  to  run  the  risk  of  being  capsized. 


TRAVELS. 


141 


"  I  am  mnslcr  of  my  own  vcphcI,"  said  lie,  "and 
know  wluit  is  host  to  be  done."     All  I  coidd  Ray 
proved    iticllbctual.      lie;    "  carrKMl    nad,"    ami 
Hwore  llic  other  vessel  shoidd  not  heat  liim. — 
Tin;  H(iuall  stnicic  us  willi  ,u;r(;it,  Ibirc,  and  I  ran  to 
cut  ilic  fore  slicct,  wliii-li  would  ha  v;  let  t ho  fore- 
wail  dy,  aiul  prohal»ly  huvo  hccn  th(^ui(;!inM  ofnav- 
injjj  the  v('ss<;i,  hut  I  was  too  laic — mIiu  capsized 
in  a  nionuril,  and  her  c:iri!;')  hcinic  iiiuc,  plaster 
of  l*aris,  isLc.  sIk;  sard;  like  a  stone.     Tlie  other 
vcss*  1    was  not  to   »;x('ecd  half  a  inih;    distant, 
and  sh<;  soon  came  to  our  relief.      While  irj  th(^ 
water  I  stripped  oil  all  my  clothes,  to  enable 
lue  to  swim,  (\iid  was  pivlccd  up  rjaked  after  bav- 
itiij;  aluKJst  despaired  of  Ide.     The  captain  wa« 
ih.e.  only  person  di owned.     I  liad  now    lost  all 
that  I  was  worth  in  the  world,  and  rcsolvi^d  not 
to  visit  my  mother  untd  I  (•ouhl  i^o  with  money 
in  my  po(.'.lv(;ls.     The  vessel  that  picked  uh  up 
was  hoimd  to  New-York.      VV(!    soon    met   oiu; 
bouiwl  to  lioston,  and    I  recjuestcd  to   be  put  on 
board  of  her.     My  re(pu'st  was  complied  with, 
and  I  arrived  in  Ijosfon  after  an  absence  of  four 
dayy.     I  visiled   her  to  wboni  I  was   betrotlied, 
and   lindin^'  her  alfections    unchanii^ed,   thouf^h 
fortune  had  stripped  me  of  every  thini^,  1  mar- 
ried hr  r  without  hesitation. 

A  few  weeks  aftcM*  this,  I  phipped  on  board 
the  ('anton,  and  sailed  for  Cdiina.  Nothing  ex- 
traordinary happened  <luriniif  our  pasHaj^c.  Wo 
touched  at  the  Cajje  of  Good  Hopc^  and  fro!»t 
thence  made  Java  Head,  (hroui^h  the  BtraighlH 
of  Sunda,  and  arrived,  after  a  short  and  pleas- 
ant passai^e,  at  Wainpii,  all  pafo. 

I  can  give  but  a  slight  descriptioaof  thiscoun- 


m* 


w 


142 


BUNNELL'S 


try,  as  I  was  not  often  allowed  to  go  on  shore. 
I  was  in  Canton  but  once.  The  Tartars  live 
afloat — i.  e.  they  have  large  boats  housed  over, 
and  moored  in  the  rivers,  in  which  they  reside, 
and  support  themselves  by  fishing,  washing  &c. 

I  have  often  heard  the  Chinese  women  ex- 
tolled for  beauty  ;  perhaps  mi/  ideas  of  beauty 
are  wild — but  I  could  see  none.  They  have 
fair  faces  it  is  true,  but  they  have  short  chins, 
and  appear  "  all  in  a  heap."  Their  feet  are  so 
very  small  that  one  would  think  it  impossible 
for  them  to  walk  at  all.  This  is  done  b)  having 
their  feet  confined  in  an  iron  shoe  when   young. 

The  women  are  generally  carried  on  the 
shoulders  of  four  men,  in  a  sedan  cliair.  This 
mode  of  travelling  is  very  cheap;  you  can  hire 
them  to  carry  you  all  day  for  one  dollar,  and  for 
a  shilling  a  boy  will  attend  you  with  an  umbrel- 
la, and  for  the  same  price  another  will  fan  you. 

They  have  a  species  of  money  which  takes 
three  hundred  pieces  to  make  a  dollar.  It  in 
silver,  and  so  thin,  that  you  can  blow  it  away. 

The  mechanics  have  a  peculiar  nack  for 
imitating  any  thing  you  want  made.  The  chief 
mate  sent  on  shore  to  get  a  dozen  pair  of  pan- 
taloons made — six  of  Canton  crape  and  six  oi 
fiilk.  He  sent  a  pair  for  a  pattern  which  had  had 
a  small  hole  in  the  knee,  but  had  been  darned. 
When  his  new  ones  came,  every  one  of  them 
was  just  the  same,  to  a  tittle.  They  bury  their 
dead  at  low  water  mark,  and  it  is  not  unfrequent 
to  see  a  corpse  floating  about  the  river — ahrost 
every  day  the  water  washed  them  out  of  the 
ground. 

We  took  in  o  cargo  of  tea,  eilke,  naiikin.s. 


"^TWT^piWf" 


TRAVELS. 


149 


pepper,  cinnamon,  cloves,  spice,  &c.  and  sailed 
for  home.  We  arrived  at  Boston,  without  meet- 
ing with  any  accident  of  importance. 

On  reaching  my  family,  I  found  an  addition 
to  it  of  a  lovely  daughter.  Tliis,  if  possible, 
made  home  appear  more  dear  to  me  than  ever — 
for  the  smiles  of  the  young  and  innocent  are 
always  enticing.  I  stayed  at  home  two  months, 
during  which  time  I  enjoyed  all  the  happiness 
possible  for  one  to  enjoy  in  this  world  of  trou- 
ble,  vexation  and  disappointment.  ' 


CHAPTER  XV. 


I  shipped  on  board  the  U.  S.  Ship  Macedo- 
nia, Capt.  Dauns,  and  sailed,  December,  1816, 
on  a  cruise  to  the  Spanish  Main,  to  relieve  some 
Americans  who  had  been  taken  by  the  Span- 
iards. We  went  lo  St.  Martha,  from  then^o 
to  Carthagena,  Havannah  and  Howe,  and  ai 
ved  at  Annapolis,  in  tlie  Chesapeake  Bay.  From 
here  we  were  ordered  to  Boston.  Our  term  of 
eerviciJ  not  having  expired,  we  were  transferred 
to  the  U.  S.  Congress,  Capt.  Morris — our  des- 
tination was  the  New  Orleans  station.  There 
were  some  repairs  to  be  made  to  the  ship, 
previous  to  sailing,  and  I  got  permission  to  visit 
my  wife  and  daughter.  We  soon  sailed,  and 
cruised  off  New-Orleas  fourteen  months,  when 
we  were  ordered  to  the  West  Indies.  Wc  first 
went  to  Port-au-Prince,  where  we  remained 
about  a  week,  and  then  sailed  for  Cape  Francis. 


)W* 


HgppHPfnnj  i».\  nii_n«ii^^^p»^w 


KP(!fprp^^»!"'^wr^wwiPfpp«^ 


wrmm^ 


144 


BUNNELLS 


This  place  Avas  under  a  monarclucal  govern- 
ment— King  Christoplie  was  on  the  black  liirouc. 
From  thence  we  sailed  to  tlie  Island  of  Mar- 
garet, near  the  Spanish  Main.  This  island  we 
found  in  a  state  of  rebellion.  The  inhabitants 
were  determined  to  throw  off  the  Spanish 
yoke,  and  had  declared  themselves  independent. 
The  day  we  arrived,  we  witnessed  an  engage- 
ment, a  short  distance  from  the  town.  The 
Patriots  gained  tlie  victory,  and  put  nearly  all 
the  Royalists  to  the  sword.  Tne  next  day  1  view- 
ed the  batllc  ground,  and  a  horrible  sight  it  was. 

We  sailed  iVoni  here  to  Cumana.  We  had 
on  board  Mr  Sept i mas  Tyler,  as  Envoy  to 
demand  all  Americnns  tliat  might  be  imprisoned 
by  the  Spanish  autliorities. 
'  Cumana  is  a  beautiful  harbor,  on  the  Span- 
ish Main,  about  one  hundred  nules  from  the  Isl- 
and of  Trinidad.  The  place  was  under  the 
Royalists,  and  Gen.  Marillo  commanded  the 
Royal  forces.  The  town  is  in  two  parts,  sepa- 
rated by  a  heautifid  river,  over  winch  (here  is  a 
stone  bridge  of  most  elegant  workmansiiip. 

We  next  sailed  for  Barcelona.  This  town  is 
handsomely  situated,  about  eight  miles  from  the 
eea,  and  had  been  taken  and  retaken  two  or 
three  times,  alternately  by  the  Patriots  and  Roy- 
alists, wdiich  proved  very  destructive  to  the  poor 
inhabitants;  both  parties  would  levy  contribu- 
tions on  the  place,  and  wlien  we  were  there  the 
inhabitants  were  in  a  suffering  condition  for  the 
necessaries  of  life.  Flour  could  not  be  pur- 
chased short  of  sixty  dollars  per  barrel,  and  eve- 
ry thing  else  was  in  proportion.  The  Patriots 
firere  masters,  but  their  force  was  emalli  and  they 


|)irapiliW"|||" 


"r\ 


VffAVBL*; 


145 


intended  to  evacuate  on  the  approach  of  Gener- 
al Merillo,  who  had  previously  taken  the  place. 
He  drew  his  prisoners  up  in  a  line,  on  a  plain, 
a  short  distance  off,  and  selected  every  fifth, 
and  ordered  him  shot — thus  he  killed  not  far 
from  eix  hunjdred,  for  attempting  to  be  free. 

We  sailed*  froiii  this  place  to  Laguira,  and 
from  thend6%  Nbrfolk,  Virginia.  Mr.  Tyler  waa 
taken  sick  the  day  we  sailed,  and  died  the  third 
day  of  his  illness.  We  buried  him  in  a  coffin 
bored  full  of  holes,  with  a  weight  in  the  foot  to 
aink  it.  This  is  the  mode  of  burying  an  officer, 
but  when  a  sailor  dies,  ho  is  sewed  up  in  a  ham- 
mock, and  thio*vn  overb'^ard-  and  swallowed 
by  the  sharks.  They  are  so  ravenous,  that  if 
a  person  is  sick  on  board,  they  will  frequently 
follow  the  vessel  for  miles. 

We  all  expected  to  be  discharged  at  Norfolk, 
but  wrt  were  sadly  disappointed  ;  the  ship  was 
ordered  to  the  river  Plata,  with  Mr.  Rodney,min- 
idtcr  to  the  Chilian  government,  to  take  out  the 
acknowledgment  of  their  independence.  Capf.. 
Morris  left  the  ship,  and  was  superseded  by 
Arthur  Sinclair,  who  took  the  command  of  lake 
Erie  after  Perry  left  it.  We  sailed,  bound  for 
the  coast  of  Brazil.  We  arrived  at  Montevideo, 
in  Rio  de  la  Plata,  and  Mr.  Rodney  went  to  Bon- 
■ecours,  and  from  thence  to  Valparaiso,  in  Chi- 
li, by  land.  We  remained  until  r/e  received 
despatches  from  him,  and  then  mailed  for  Rio- 
janeiro,  where  we  arrived  on  the  sixth  of  March, 
1817,  the  day  Don  Pedro  the  first  was  crowned 
emperor  of  Brazil.  He  was  married  the  same 
day  to  the  Princess  of  Austria.  They  had  great 
cejoicingB  and  illomiiiations  for  three  days  insuo-^ 

10 


«b. 


146 


BVlfltELL'fl 


cession.  It  was  the  most  beautiful  sight  that  can 
be  imagined,  to  see,  even  in  the  day  time,  so  large 
a  city,  and  standing  so  picturesque,  completely 
illuminated — and  at  night  it  was  beyond  tlie 
reach  of  imagination.  Tiic  sliipping  belonging  to 
government  was  also  illuminated  by  night,  and 
dressed  most  elegantly  with  flags  in  the  day 
time.  There  were  not  less  than  a  thousand 
guns  fired  per  day  for  three  days  in  succession. 
We  sailed  from  this  place  to  St.  Salvadore, 
and  from  thence  to  the  West  Indies.  We  touch- 
ed at  tiie  island  of  Margaretta,  and  from  thence 
proceeded  to  Norfolk.  We  were  here  dischar- 
ged and  payed  otf.  I  took  the.  packet  for  Phila- 
delphia, and  from  thence  to  Bosion,  where  I  ar- 
rivcdi  October,  1817 — and  was  o/cijoyed  at 
meeting  my  wife  and  daughter,  after  an  absence 
of  two  years. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

November  20,  1817, 1  shipped  on  board  th« 
frigate  Macedonian,  Captain  Jolm  Dawns,  bound 
for  the  Pacific  ocean.  1  bade  my  wife  and 
daughter  farewell,  but  little  did  I  then  think  it 
was  an  eternal  farewell ;  but  so  it  proved. 

On  the  26th  and  27th,  we  experienced  a  vert 
severe  gfile.  At  ten  o'clock,  A.  M.  (on  the 
26th,)  we  bad  all  sail  set,  with  a  fair  wind,  but 
the  breeze  soon  began  to  freshen.  At  eleven, 
we  look  in  all  the  light  sails,  and  braced  up  tho 
jards  close  by  tbc  wind.    At  twelve  the  ship 


TUAVEL9. 


141 


would  no  longer  stay  her  course.  All  hands  were 
called  lo  shorten  sail,  and  wc  took  in  top-gal- 
lant sails  and  flying  jib.  At  five  o'clock,  all 
were  again  called  to  shorten  sail — we  double- 
reefed  the  topsails,  and  single  reefed  the  cour- 
8  ers. 

At  sundown  it  commenced  raining  very 
hard  and  blew  a  hurricane.  The  bright  and 
flaming  flushes  of  lightning  flew  in  such  quick 
succession,  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  ocean 
at  times  was  in  a  blaze. 

At  ten  at  night  the  rain  abated,  but  the  sea  ran 
high,  and  the  vessel  labored  very  much — having 
no  sail  to  steady  her.     At  length  we  succeeded 
i!»  getting  a  main  and  fore  storm  stay  sail  set. — 
It  was  very  dark,  and  the  vessel  rolled  so  heavy 
that  it  was  impossible  for  a  person  to  stand  up 
without  holding  fast  to  j^omethinp:.     Sometimes 
ti  man  would  "•  fetch  way"  and  fall  to  the  sea  side 
of  the  ves^scl  with  great  force — several  had  th.eir 
arms  broken  during  the  night.     The  wind  in- 
creased, and  we  expected  every  minute  that  our 
masts  would  all  go  by  the  board.     The  fore  and 
mizen  storm  stay  sails  were  split  to  pieces,  and 
wc  had  no  sail  to  assist  in  keeping  the  ship's 
head  towarcis  tlto  sea.     i^he  icll  ofl:*  in  the  trough 
of  the  sea,  which  is  the  most  dangerous  situa- 
tion a  ship  can  be  in.     At  length  the  dismal  cry 
was  heard — "  The  main  mast  is  sprung."     Wc 
then  cut  our  top  mast  away — it  iell  over  our 
lee  with   a  dreadful  crash.     The   foretopmast 
and  jib-boom   were  also  gone,  and   we  lay   a 
miserable  and   unmanageble  wreck.     The  sea 
was  making  a  fair  breach  over  us — at  every 
surge  it  was  as  much  as  we  could  do  to  keep 

10* 


■P 


us 


BVNlTELL^a 


from  being  washed  overboard,  but  at  "length' 
tho  wrishcd'for  morning  broke  through  the  ha- 
zy sky.'* 

As  the  sun  rose  the  gale  in  a  measure  aba- 
ted. It  seemed  as  il'  old  Boreas  and  his  asso- 
ciates had  been  taking  a  complete  night's  ca- 
rousal, and  like  many  mortals,  turned  night  into 
day,  and  day  into  night. 

The  sea  still  rolled  so  high  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  do  any  thing  towards  repairing  our 
damnge.  We  rigged  our  jury  masts,  and  ran 
into  Norfolk. 

Wc  fitted  and  sailed  November  9,  and  pro- 
ceeded directly  for  Cape  Horn.  Wc  passed 
the  Southern  extremity  of  America,  January  8, 
1818,  and  arrived  at  Valparaiso,  coast  of  Chili,  on 
the  28lh.  While  we  lay  here  the  Patriot  llect 
under  the  command  of  Lord  Cochrane,  sailed, 
destined  to  blockade  the  port  of  Callao,  the  sea 
port  town  of  Lima,  in  Peru.  He  said  that  the 
blockade  would  be  so  vigorously  carried  on  that 
wc  would  not  be  able  to  get  into  [)ort ;  but  Capt. 
Dawp.H  resolved  to  enter  either  by  fair  means  op 
by  force. 

We  sailed  and  arrived  off  Callao  with  every 
thing  in  order  for  an  action ;  but  his  Lordship 
did  not  think  proper  to  interrupt  us. 

We  anchored  in  the  harbor,  fired  a  salute,  and 
were  answered  from  the  fort,  by  the  »Spaniards, 
The  next  night  Cochrane  came  into  harbor  and 
cut  out  the  Spanish  frigate  Emerald,  of  44  guns, 
and  five  hundred  men. 

There  were  upwards  of  a  hundred  merchant 
vessels  lying  in  the  harbor,  belonging  to  dif- 
ferent oationa — and  tUe  Spaniards  mistrusted 


\ 


\ 


^RAVEL& 


149 


into 


im- 


ran 


we  had  assisted  the  Patriots  in  takinj^  their  frit;- 
nte,  and  tlicy  ccnunenccd  firini^  promiscuously 
among  the  vessels,  and  compelled  Ihcin  all  to 
cut  or  slip  their  cables,  and  proceed  out  of  the 
harbor. 

The  next  niorninf^  they  massacred  every 
American  that  was  on  shore  at  Callao.  We 
sent  a  hoat  on  shore  as  usual,  to  market,  and 
tiiey  lired  ui)on  her,  and  killcil  all  but  three,  and 
those  were  badly  wounded — one  of  tlum  died 
soon  after  we  got  him  on  board.  Our  captain, 
together  with  several  of  the  Kuglish  ollicers, 
were  at  Lima  at  this  time,  and  they  were  obliged 
to  make  their  escape  in  disguise. 

We  sailed  from  here  to  Ht.  Bias,  on  the  coast 
of  Mexico,  and  then  to  Acapulco,and  from  thenct 
to  Valj)araiso,  about  three  tliousand  miles  dis- 
tant, where  we  arrived  the  fortieth  day  of  our 
voyage,  in  a  miserable  and  half-starved  condi- 
tion. 

We  cruised  arc  id  the  coast  of  Chili,  Peru, 
and  California,  two  years,  and  then  were  relea- 
sed by  the  l'.  8.  Frigate  Constellation,  Capt. 
George  G.  Ridge ly.  ' 

1  ^^as  informed  by  a  num  on  board  the  Con- 
stellation, that  he  liad  been  at  njy  house,  hut 
could  see  nor  hear  nothing  of  my  wife  nor  child. 
This  rather  surprised  me,  and  1  thought  if  they 
were  no  more,  (which  1  conjectured  was  the 
case,)  I  would  continue  on  this  coast  the  re- 
mainder of  my  life.  Accordingly  I  volunteered 
to  reman  on  board  tlie  Constellation,  hidding  fare- 
well to  my  shipmates  on  tlie  Macedonian. — 
Each  crew  gave  tin-ee  cheers — and  they  sailed 
for  the  United  States,  and  we   steered   for  Co- 


150 


OUNNELl/d 


quiinbo,  and  from  tlicnrc  to  Miisafunro,  bavin|;( 
been  ii»lornie<l  by  a  small  sloop  that  pas^sscil  (Ijo 
island,  tbat  Ibero  wcro  some  men  on  it,  wbo 
waived  to  tliem,  but  the  siirf  ran  so  bij^li  that 
they  could  not.  take  them  oil",  they  bavintj  no 
boat  fit  to  land. 

This  laland  is  hiijh  and  rocky,  and  it  is  ini- 
po9sil)b!i  to  land  at  particular  times  of  the  year, 
and  dani>Trous  at  all  time?^. 

We  ran  down  along  the  shore,  and  fired  se- 
veral pUis,  and  on  the  N.  W.  side  of  the  island, 
the  only  place  that  it  is  ])ossible  to  land,  \vc 
found  four  men  wlio  had  been  left  there  for  the 
purpose  of  sealinu:,  by  tlie  ship  Ilcst'.u'  of  Bos- 
ton. .They  had  provisions  atul  ainnumilion  left 
them  sullicient  Ibr  three  months,  durinj;"  vvbicb 
time  the  ship  was  to  return  for  them.  They 
bad  been  there  nine  months,  and  had  seen  no 
vessel  except  the  sloop  before  mentioned.  They 
liad  subsisted  for  the  last  six  montbs  on  iifoats, 
seals'  livers,  birds,  ega:s,  &e.  They  were 
clothed  in  seal  skins — and  bud  a  lariije  quantity 
of  them  dried,  which  our  purser  i)urehascd. — 
Some  of  them,  after  pickimv  the  hair  out,  bad 
the  most  bcautitul  fur  on  1  ever  saw.  Water 
v.as  pleanty  and  fell  from  the  rocks  in  beautiful 
murmuring  cascades — proceeding  i*rom  a  small 
lake  on  the  very  top  of  the  rocks,  the  source  of 
wbicb  was  supposed  to  be  boiling  springs. — 
Rats  of  a  very  large  size  wore  tbere  in  great 
abundance,  and  these  men  told  us  that  Ibey 
had,  when  scarce  of  goat  meat,  frequently  eaten 
them. 

We  took  the  four  men  on  board  and  procee- 
ded to  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandas,  the  place 


rtif 


MiiiMiiiii 


TRAVEt.(l. 


161 


♦hat  c;avo  rise  to  (he  cclobratcd  romance  of  Rob- 
inson Crusoe ;  hut  it  has  hut  little  of  the  ap- 
pfarancc  of  the  place  dcscrihed  by  De  Foe — • 
ihoupfh  I  suppose,    lie  formed  an  island  in  his 
own  iuraj^irr.ttion,  to  cheat   poor  Alexander  Sel- 
kirk  out  of  his  title  to  the  emolument   arising 
from    liis  sutVerini2;s  on    this  island.     There  is 
nolhini^  that  man  or  hcast  needs  Ibi  support,  but 
what  grows  on   this   island  s|)onlaneously  ex,- 
eept    wheat.      l\)laloes,   turnips,  cabbage,  &c. 
prow  in  ij^rcat  abundance.     Wild  horscip,  cattle, 
i^oatp,  hoi:;s,  ikii.  were  very  plenty.     AVild  fouls 
were  very  lunnerous,  and  of  almost  every  des- 
cription, and   being  seldom  disturbed  by   man, 
are  easily  caught.     Fish  of  almost  every  kind 
are  also  in  threat  abundance.     I  havi*  caught  c- 
nough  in  ojie  liour,  with    a  hook  and  piece  of 
red  llaniul,  ft>r  ten  men's  breaklasts.     We  re- 
mained  here  some    days,  and   then  sailed    for 
Valparaiso,  and  trom  thence  to  Cotjuimbo.     As 
nothinp:   remarkable  happened  while   I  was  in 
this  ship.  I  shjill  not  detail  our  sailings  and  arri- 
vals at  all  the  ditVcrenl  places;  but  suflice  it  to 
say,  we  touched  at  almost  every  port,  from  Con- 
ception on  the  coast  of  Chili,  lat.  37,  8.   to  St. 
Bias,  hit.  21,  N. — including   Chili,   Peru,  Mex- 
ico, and  the  port  of  California.      At  Arica,    in 
Peru,  lat.  18,  S.  it  is  never  known  to   rain,   yet 
li»e  heavy  dews  at  night  make  vegetation  pro- 
lific.    VVc  could  get  a   bushel  of  potatoes  for 
eight  cents ;  grapes  and  fruit  of  every  description 
were  also  very  cheap.     We  sailed  from  here  to 
the  port  of  Panama,  at  the  isthmus  of  Darien, 
and  from  thence  to  tlie  island  of  Puna.     Oys- 
twrs  are  taken  here  in  great  abundance^  and 


162 


BONNELL'0 


what  i^  very  singular,  tlierc  are  none  on  any  oth- 
er pari  of  the  coast.  Tiic  inliabitants  sell  beef 
by  tlic  yard — it  is  taken  iVom  the  boney,  and  cut 
up  in  titrips  of  about  two  inches  in  size,  and 
measured  by  a  yard  stick.  They  a;;!k  one  cent 
a  yard — which  would  weigli  not  far  from  one 
pound.  Wood  in  a  number  of  places  on  tbi^? 
corst,  is  sold  by  the  pound,  and  I  have  seen 
them  as  particular  in  making  weight,  as  they 
are  in  this  country  of  lea  or  wugar.  Aligatori 
arc  vrry  numerous  and  have  been  known  to 
carry  off  hogs  and  even  calves,  and  at  one  time 
there  was  a  black  man  taken  by  one,  and  before 
there  could  be  any  assistance  rendered  him  he 
was  devoured.  I  have  seen  them  so  old,  and 
their  scales  so  hard,  us  to  be  impenelrable  to  a 
musket  ball. 

Their  boats  here  are  made  of  two  catllc-hidcs 
eewed  together  so  tliat  they  are  water  light, 
then  blown  up,  by  means  of  a  hose  made  of  thin 
leather,  with  a  tube  in  one  end ;  and  the  otiier 
end  is  secured  wind  tight  to  one  of  the  liides — 
the  forward  parts  <'ome  close  loget!:cr,  and  the 
other  witliin  about  three  feel.  They  are  f-ecu- 
redin  this  manner  by  a  stick  lashed  with  leather 
or  rawhide  strong  across  tlie  two  hides.  Near 
the  fore  part  there  is  a  board  for  a  person  to  sil 
on.  They  are  capable  of  carrying  several  per- 
sons, but  there  is  seldom  more  than  one  rides 
on  them  at  once.  They  are  propelled  by  a  two- 
bladed  paddle,  which  the  man  takes  in  the  cen- 
tre, and  paddles  alternately  from  one  side  of  th« 
boat  to  the  other. 

I  had  been  on  board  the  Constellation  four- 
teen months,  when  she  was  relieved  from  tht 


im 


H§ 


TftATBLS. 


wa 


station  by  the  arrival  of  the  U.  S.  seventy-four, 
Frankhn,  bearing  the  broad  pendant  of  Com, 
Stuart,  accompanied  by  tlie  schooner  Dolphin, 
commanded  bv  David  Conner. 

A  man  on  board  the  Franklin  told  me  that 
mv  wife  died  three  months  after  I  left  IJwSton. 
in  tlie  Macedonian  ;  but  he  could  give  me  no  in- 
telligence of  my  child.  C)w  the  receipt  of  this 
flad  newK.  I  aajain  resolved  not  to  visit  the  lini- 
ted  {States,  and  volunteered  to  remain  in  the 
Dolphin.  The  Constellation  soon  after  ?>ailed  for 
the  U.ntcd  States,  and  we  steered  for  the  port 
of  Callao,  and  from  thence  to  Guancliaco,  the 
seaport  of  Truxillo.  This  place  became  cele- 
brated in  the  former  revolutiotis  of  this  country 
for  dreadful  scenes  of  Massacre  and  desolation. 
Let  a  person  perusse  the  history  of  tJiis  country, 
and  then  convince  himself  by  ocular  demonstra- 
tion of  ii. ;  beauty  of  the  climate  and  soil,  of  that, 
Ai'hich  iS  so  fertile  and  ricli,  under  one  univer- 
pal  Sjjrinir  nnd  Summer,  and  lie  may  well  nay 
how  nnu:rateful  is  man  to  treat  with  contempt 
this  garden,  on  which  it  would  appear  that  na- 
ture had  exhausted  all  her  ttores  of  'weabh  to 
cultivate  and  envicii  with  every  blessing.  There 
seems  to  be  nothing  that  does  not  prow  there  al- 
most sj)onlaneou>ly.  The  inhabitants  have 
money  so  plenty  that  they  will  not  work,  and 
live  in  voluptuous  idleness.  But  the  very  gold 
and  silver  they  pride  themselves  so  much  on,  it 
their  ruin.  It  attracts  u  great  many  adventur- 
ers, and  there  is  no  knowing  how  many  millions 
of  those  deluded  mortals  have  been  massacred 
for  their  gold  and  silver. 

This  country   has   been,  ever  since  it  wa« 


f  > 


154 


nUNNFXI.  s 


Grst  settled  by  llie  Spaniards,  in  tlic  fourtccntb 
century,  one  continual  scat  of  war  and  desola- 
tion. War  has  succeeded  war.  and  the  country 
has  become  nearly  drained  ot"  its  ancient  store 
of  riches,  and  has  dwindled  away  to  nothinor, 
compared  to  what  it  was  two  hundred  years  aajo, 
when  inhabited  by  the  native  Peruvians.  IJut 
their  race  is  now  almost  extinct — not  a  vestijj^e 
is  remaining  of  their  ancient  riches,  and  i»:old«n 
splendor,  and  hundreds  who  have  been  the 
cause  of  their  ruin,  have  sunk  to  oblivion  un- 
pittied  and  unbcfricnded.  Tlic  few  who  still 
remain,  wear  lari>c  f:;oldcn  Oinaments  in  their 
ears  and  around  their  nctdcs,  when  in  other  re- 
spect? they  are  nearly  naked.  The  women  arc 
generally  short,  thick  set,  and  j tosses-^  but  little 
personal  beauty,  but  they  far  excel  the  Span- 
ish ladies  in  chastity,  and  virtuous  accomplish- 
nients.     Manv  of  them  hnvt.'  cnd)raced  the  Ro- 

ft' 

man  Catholic  relij;'ion,  but  the  a;reaterpart  liavf 
no  idea  of  any  other  God  than  the  Sun — the 
Moon  his  Queen,  and  the  Stars  their  children. 
These  they  strictly  worship.  Tiiey  were,  when 
first  discovered,  the  most  cnlisriitened  and  vir- 
tuous race  of  all  the  heathen  nations. 

The  Patriots  had  taken  both  liima  and  Cal- 
lao,  but  the  Rovalists  were  in  the  vicinitv,  and 
thev  did  not  know  how  soon  tiiey  would  be  at- 
tacked.  Contributions  were  levied  upon  the  in- 
habitants, which  kept  them  poor  and  in  constant 
alarm. 

The  merchant  ship  Gen.  Brown,  of  New- 
V'ork,  arrived  there  with  a  carico  of  flour,  whilo 
the  place  was  in  a  state  of  hlockade,  which  wa« 
iold  for  fifty  dollars  per  barrel.  She  soon  after 
sailed  with  the  Vice  King  to  Iliojaneiro, 


TUATEL8. 


155 


I  saw  in  one  Fort  in  Callao,  men,  xvomen  and 
rhihlren,  wlio  had  perisihed  for  the  necessaries 
of  life,  lay  in  promiscuous  heaps — and  were  not 
huried  while  1  remained  there,  and  even  where 
our  vessel  lay,  the  stench,  when  the  wind  was 
ulf  the  sliore,  was  aimosi  intolerable,  so  much 
so,  that  we  were  ohlijjcd  to  move  the  vessel  far- 
ther off. 

I  irot  permission  to  ^o  to  Tjima  a  few  days, 
and  during  my  slay  there,  the  Spaniards  took 
the  place,  i  was  about  a  mih^  out  of  town  at 
an  English  n^i]Uvri^a,llt's.  ( The  i^paniards 
gave  out  an  order  to  press  all  EncjVish  mechan- 
ics in  the  place,  to  52;o  to  the  mine  of  Seripas- 
ca  to^^repair  (wo  steam  cni;infjs  that  were  used 
to  clear  the  niineoi'  water.)  Tiiey  came  to  the 
house  after  the  old  milhvrii.;hl,  and  compelled 
me  to  go  li  ice  wise.  We  were  provided  with 
nmles,  and  travelled  under  an  escort  of  forty 
soldiers.  On  t!ir  ^^econd  day  of  oer  journey  we 
arrived  on  the  extensive  ])lains  of  ISeripasca, 
situated  at  the  foot  of  one  of  the  hills  that  bor- 
der on  the  base  of  the  Andes.  The  m'.nc  was 
in  the  interior  overHowed,  and  two  engines  when 
in  repair  would  raise  four  tons  of  water  in  a 
minute,  and  it  would  require  twelve  days  ope- 
ration to  clear  it.  It  took  one  month  to  repair 
the  engines,  during  which  time,  I  became  quite 
a  mechanic,  and  could  handle  the  tools  with 
considerable  eflect.  I  arrived  there  in  April, 
and  on  the  4th  of  July  1  resolved  to  cch;brate 
the  independence  of  my  country.  I  asked  the 
overfaccr  for  a  little'money,  Jind  he  refused  ;  I 
tlien  told  him  I  would  work  no  longer,  but  I 
was  soon  convineed  that  it  would  have  been 


156 


nONNRU/C 


better  for  me,  had  1  kept  this  to  myfjclf.  1  was 
fsurroundtui  by  soldiers  and  beaten  most  uniner- 
ciCully  with  sticks,  and  on  cominti;  to  my  senses, 
I  found  mvselt"  in  a  dark  and  loathsome  dunujeon. 
where  I  remained  a  lonsj;  while  without  beinj; 
able  to  tell  wlielher  it  was  (h^y  or  nisi;ht.  I  was 
so  sore  from  tlie  bruises  I  luid  received,  that  I 
could  sciarcly  move.  JNly  shirt  was  «)ne  com- 
plete p^re  of  blood.  1  had  been  in  this  dun- 
geon alxnit  tnenty-four  hours  without  any 
thing  to  cat,  ami  I  bcij^an  to  think  that  it  was 
tlieir  intention  to  starve  me  to  death.  1  remain- 
ed in  liiis  melanelioly  situation  three  days,  and 
on  the  third  liay  of  my  conlinement.  1  heard  a 
great ;  lirina-,  which  lastr^il  about  an  hour,  when 
It  j^raduallv  died  awav  on  tlic  (>ar,  and  left  me 
in  suspense  as  lo  tlie  result  of  the  conflict. 

I  soon  learnt  tlmt  the  l*atrio!s  had  attacked 
the  plac^e,  iraincd  llie  victory,  and  massacred  all 
who  made  any  resistance.  My  companions  in- 
Ibrmed  them  of  my  situation,  and  in  al)Out  half 
an  hour  afterwards,  the  door  of  my  jirison  ua^ 
opened  and  i  v.as  ordered  out.  1  inibrmed  the 
General  how  1  can>c  there,  and  tliat  I  belonged 
to  the  Dolphin,  C'art.  Coimor,  and  he  told  mr 
that  she  was  then  lying  in  the  port  of  Callao. — 
lie  gave  me  a  j)assport  to  Lima,  a  jackass,  any 
four  dollars  in  Uioney,  and  I  proceeded  in  com- 
pany with  eight  more. 

The  country  through  which  we  travelled,  iif- 
ler  crossing  the  plains,  appeared  remarkably 
fertile,  hut  miserably  cultivated.  I  stoi)ped  at 
several  houses  on  the  way,  and  found  the  peo- 
ple very  hos])itable  ;  they  gave  us  whatever  w« 
asked  for,  and  charged  us  nothing. 


TBAVELS. 


fSY 


I  had  neither  saddle  nor  bridle  on  my  jackassi 
and  he  would  be  sure  to  rub  my  lej^s  against  ev- 
ery stone  wall  or  snag  we  passed.  I  arrived, 
however,  sale  at  Lima,  after  a  journey  of  six 
day^,   and  sold  him  ibr  a  dollar  and  a  half. 


CFIAPTER  XVU. 


The  city  of  Lima  in  very  extensive  and  bcau- 
hfuUy  pitualed^  with  a  riviM*  running  across  it 
ncarlv  in  llie  centre.  It  is  ylron2:lv  walled,  and 
can  bo  entcied  only  al  the  gates.  The  streets 
cross  each  other  at  right  angles,  and  some  of 
Ihcni  are  spacious.  The  city  is  su  situated  that 
water  can  be  carried  in  everv  direction  of  it  at 
once,  and  is  generally  done  twice  a  week  for 
the  purpose  of  cleansing 'he  streets.  The  Pal- 
ace Square  has  a  beautiful  bras's  fountain  ;  the 
water  tails  from  one  projection  to  another,  and 
is  caugiit  in  a  reservoir,  wiicre  the  inhabitants 
resort  Ibr  water.  Huuilreds  are  fretpiently  seen 
there  at  a  time. 

The  city  also  contains  a  great  number  of 
churches,  and  son»e  of  them  are  the  richest  in 
the  world.  1  entered  one  calI'Ml  St.  Domingo, 
which  was  allowed  to  be  the  most  s[»lendid  in 
the  city.  I  saw  our  Saviour,  surrounded  by  his 
twelve  vVposthjs,  set  with  diamonds  in  a  polished 
plate  of  silver,  worth,  as  I  was  inlbrmed,  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  There  were  also 
Bilver  candlesticks,  four  lV:et  in  leiigth  ;  andcat^ 
dlea  of  green  waX|  nieasuring  eix  inches  in  cir- 


^p 


163  .  BUNNELL^S 

t 

€umfcrcnce.     I  did  Aot  see  any  of  them  burning, 
for  they  were  only  lighted  on  particular  occasions 
— at  vvhicli  times  no  heretic,  os  they   call  u?,  is 
admitted.     They  would  not  allow  perijons  who 
died  in  port  to  be  buried  on  shore.     All  of  our 
men  who  died  at  CallaOj  were  interred  on  thj^ 
island   of  Lorenzo,  about  five  miles  distant.— 
This  island  is  nothinj^  but  rocks  tind  sand,  in- 
capable of  any  kind  of  veg-etation,  and  inhabited 
only  by  seal,  and  birds  of  prey.     Gulls,  FelicaiiF? 
and  otlicr  sea  fowl,  build  their  nests  in  the  chlis 
of  the  rocks,  and  lay  their  eg-gs  and  hatch  liieir 
young"  in  great  security,  bcinj^  inaccessible  to  man. 
At  the  time  of  my  arrival  in  Lima,  llie  rulri- 
ot  aripy  had  possession  of  the  town,  but  not  the 
castle  oi'  Callao;    consequently   there  was    no 
communication  betu^een  the  two  places.     I  wiiy 
obliged  to  remain  Ifiere  better  than  two  weeks, 
and  was  employed  by  a  mill-wri^ht  who  had  vu- 
gaged  to  repair  t!ie  mint,  which  gave  me  iin  oj>- 
portunity  of  witnessing  tlie  process  of  minting. 
The  silver  plule  is  pounded  into  lumps,  and  put 
into  a  laige  iron  ladle,  lined  with  clay,  and  when 
melte(i>  it  is  run  into  iron  spoons;  wlicn cooled, 
the  pieces  are  sent  to^tlie'  rollers,^  Vvhich  are  six 
in  number — tlirecat  each  end  of  a  large  water- 
wheel.     After  going  through  these,  tliey  heeomo 
of  the  tliickness  of  a  dollar ;  they  then  go  through 
the  cutllng-mnchine,  and  come  out  the  ri'^ht  size ; 
from  thence  they  go  to  the  cleanser,  which  is  a 
large  copper  boiler,  filled  with  lime  juice,   wa- 
tpr,  and  pulverised  charcoal,  \Ahieh  makes  them 
perfectly  bright.     They  arc  shoveled  from  thi« 
boiler  into  a  drainer,  through  which  there  con- 
fitantly  runt  a  stream  of  water,  which  cleansea 


\ 


TSAVELS. 


159 


them  of  the  charcoal.  They  are  then  passed 
through  an  oven — the  bottom  of  vvliich  is  com- 
posed of  small  roller!?,  which  arc  kept  hot  enough 
to  dry  them ;  i'rom  that  they  fall  into  baskets, 
and  are  carried  to  the  weighing  table  and 
v.-eighed  singly,  and  if  any  are  found  too  light, 
they  are  sent  back  to  the  forge,  and  run  over. — 
The  press  is  fixed  witli  a  broad  worm,  and  the 
die  tiiat  Ibnns  the  impression  on  one  side  is 
Qttaclicd  to  the  screw,  not  so  as  to  turn,  l)ut 
move  up  and  down  about  half  an  inch ;  tiie  other 
is  stationary  immediately  under  it.  The  -crew 
is  turned  by  four  men  witli  a  long  lever,  whicii 
has'a  lead  ball  weighing  one  hundred  lbs.  attach- 
ed to  each  end.  This  lever  is  worked  back  and 
forward  about  two  feet  each  way  which  ope- 
rates on  the  screw  suflicient  to  let  the  dollar 
pass.  A  man  wlio  is  acquainted  with  the  bu- 
siness will  put  the  impression  on  forty  in  a  min- 
ute. The  edges  are  stamped  as  fast  as  they  come 
out  of  the  press.  They  generally  ralculate  to 
make  at  the  rate  of  one  thousand  dollars  per 
hour.  The  laborious  v/ork  is  done  by  negro 
slaves. 

The  common  dresses  of  the  Peruvian  women, 
resemble  those  of  the  English  and  Americans — 
but  their  walking  dresses  are  far  ditferent.  They 
all  resemble  ea«:h  other,  rich  or  poor.  If  a  wo- 
man i«  obliged  to  c:o  half  naked  at  home,  she 
will  be  provided  with  an  elegant  walking  dress. 
This  dress  is  made  i>imiiar  to  a  petticoat,  and  is 
fastened  very  tight  around  the  waist,  and  is  so 
narrow  that  they  can  step  but  a  little  way  at 
'  a  time.  The  upper  part  of  the  dress  consista 
of  a  square  piece  of  silk  or  cloth  which  19  also 


100 


BITNNBLL^S 


fastened  around  the  waist;  and  then  thrown 
over  the  head  and  arms,  and  held  by  the  hand 
on  the  inside.  You  can  see  nothing  of  them  ex- 
cept one  eye — if  married,  tlie  right ;  if  single, 
the  left.  They  carry  both  hand3  as  high  as  their 
breast ;  consequently  their  elbows  project  a  lit- 
tle from  their  body.  They  look  very  singular 
when  dressed  in  this  way,  though  neat — espe- 
cially those  of  a  handsome  torm.  You  will  nev- 
er see  a  man  and  woman  walking  together. — 
Thny  generally  go  to  mass  at  sunrise,  and  have 
a  black  girl  or  boy  follow  them  with  a  cushion 
on  vvhicli  Ihey  kneel.  I  saw  a  piece  of  painting 
in  ont;  of  Iheir  churches  tliat  excelled  any  thing 
I  ever.^aw.  It  was  twenty  feet  high,  and  one 
hundred  long — intended  for  a  representation  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testament.  The  crucifixion 
o(  Christ  was  elegantly  executed  as  large  a&  life 
One  day  I  went  to  my  wash-woman's  after 
■omc  clean  clot  lies,  and  had  not  been  tiicrc  long 
when  I  beared  the  woman's  husband  who  had 
just  relurned  home,  say  to  his  companion — "I 

suspect  that,  d d  Englishman  is  in  the  other 

room  with  my  wift\  and  I  am  going  to  stab  him.'"' 
I  had  no  chance  to  retreat,  and  nothinir  to  defend 
myself  wiMi.  There  was  a  clock  case  standing 
in  the  room,  and  after  much  dilliculty  I  crowd- 
ed mvself  into  it,  and  no  sooner  was  Ihc  door 
of  the  case  closed,  tlian  the  door  of  the  room 
opened,  and  tuo  Spaniards  entered,  armed 
with  knives,  and  demanded  of  the  v/oman  if  I 
was  there,  and  she  answered  in  the  negative, 
which  seemed  to  pacify  them.  They  staid 
about  an  hour,  and  then  left.  I  soon  extricated 
my  self  from  this  painful   situation,  toolr  what 


TRAVELS. 


I6li 


clothes  I  had  there,  anJ  made  off,  resolving  not 
to  be  caught  in  such  a  trap  again. 

The  next  day  the  communication  was  opened 
to  the  port,  and  I  went  on  board  the  Dolphin, 
and  in  a  lew  days  sailed  for  Valparaiso. 

The  second  day  after  our  arrival,  we  witness- 
ed the  grctJcst  earthquake  that  had  ever  been 
known  on  the  coast  of  Chili.     To  give  a  proper 
description  of  this  awful  convulfnon  of  nature,  is 
out  of  my  power.     To  see  the  hills  in  motion — 
the  sea  rolling  and  tumbling  when  there  was 
not  a  breath  of  wind — to  hear  the  mournful  be- 
wailing of  the  alVrighted  inhabitants — the  crack- 
ing of  the   faUing  buildings — the  constant  roar 
•\i*  of  a  mighty  whirlwind  or  distant  thunder — 
llio  ^-oicanic   llame   burst in<j:  at  intervals  from 
the  surrounding   mountains — all  added  horror 
to  the  scene,     hnugination  can  form  some  idea, 
but  the  ]ie!»    is  intKlerjuata  to  paint  the  horribly 
awful  scene.     All  (locked   to  the  vessels  that 
could — some   half  naked — some  children  with- 
out  their  parents — and   parents   without   their 
ciiildren.     We  could  distinctly  hear  from  where 
wc  lay,  the  cries  and  lamentations  of  the  peo- 
ple on  shore.     The  vessels  in  port  rendered 
ihcm  every  assistance  in  their  power.     Several 
houses  were  levelled  to  the  ground — others  bu- 
ried by  the  falling  hills.     The  first  shock  was 
felt  about  half  past  eleven  at  night,  the  next  a~ 
lout  one,  and  the  lust  and  most  severe  one,  a- 
bout  half  an  hour  afterwards;  but  the  ground 
continued  trembling  for  twenty -four  hours. 

We  remained  at  Valparaiso  a  few  days  after 
the  eartl.quake,  and  were  then  ordered  oa 
board  tlie  Amar;da,  and  cruised  off  Chillao  three 

U 


3 


162 


BUNiVELL^fl 


months  for  a  Pirate  that  was  said  to  infest  the 
coastj  but  did  not  iind  her,  and  returned.  On 
our  arrival,  we  found  the  U.  S.  Ship  United 
States,  commanded  by  Commodore  Hull,  which 
had  come  to  relieve  the  Franklin — the  Dolphin 
was  to  remain.  I  had  been  in  the  Pacific 
Ocean  upwards  of  six  years,  and  thought  that 
I  would  once  more  visit  my  own  country ;  ac- 
cordingly I  joined  the  Franklin,  and  sailed  for 
the  United  States,  June,  1824.  We  touched  at 
Cape  Horn  and  lliojaiieiro,  and  arrived  in  New- 
York  on  the  14th  of  August.  On  the  twenti- 
eth, I  was  discharged,  and  took  the  stage  the 
same  day  for  Boston. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

On  my  arrival  at  Boston,  every  thing  looked 
desolate — my  child,  I  learned,  had  been  dead 
about  two  years,  and  my  wife,  nearly  six. — 
There  was  not  a  soul  remaining  of  the  family. — 
My  wife,  her  mother,  her  sister,  sister's  lius- 
band,  and  two  children,  had  all  been  called  from 
this  world,  in  the  short  space  of  six  years. 

The  world  seemed  lost  to  me ;  I  knew  not 
that  I  had  a  single  relation  living — and  was  lefi 
a  forlorn  wanderer — no  spot  to  call  my  own — 
and  I  made  up  my  mind  to  again  join  the  navy 
and  remain  in  it  for  life.  Accordingly  I  entered 
for  the  U.  S.  ship  North  Carolina,  of  74  guns, 
commanded  by  Commodore  Rogers,  then  fitting 
out  at  Norfolk.     About  thirty  of  us  were  put  ou 


<' ' 


m 


TRAVELS. 


16S 


board  a  brig  and  sent  round  to  Norfolk  to  join 
the  ship,  where  wc  remained  all  winter. 

This  winter  I  was  taken  with  a  severe  cough, 
and  my  physician  pronounced  me  bordering  on 
the  consumption,  and  I  was  considered  as  unfit 
lor  sea,  and  sent  to  the  hospital. 

After  the  ship  I  was  to  go  in,  had  sailed,  1 
was  thought  to  be  cured,  and  was  sent  to  the 
receiving  ship,  Albert,  but  I  had  not  been  on 
board  long,  before  a  relapse  took  place,  and  I 
got  a  discharge. 

Jt  was  now  that  I  wanted  tlie  soothing  care 
of  a  mother.  Many  a  night  have  I  sat  on  the 
wharf  until  day  light  in  the  morning,  absorbed 
in  melancholly  reflection.  1  thought  myself  the 
most  wretched  mortal  on  earth.  But  in  a  iew 
weeks  my  disease  left  me,  my  strength  increa- 
ifcd,  and  I  detei  mined  on  trying  a  soldier's  life. 

I  took  a  passage  to  old  Point  Comfort,  where 
there  w^as  a  garrison,  and  offered  my  services  ; 
hut  when  I  came  to  be  examined  by  the  physi- 
cian, he  pronounced  me  unsound.  This  was 
all  that  saved  me  from  being  a  soldier. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  I  embarked  on  board 
a  small  schooner,  bound  to  Baltimore,  where  I 
arrived  with  health  restored,  and  took  a  boar- 
ding house  for  a  while,  and  then  shipped  in  the 
f^chooner  Leader,  Capt.  Breck,  bound  to  the 
West  Indies,  and  sailed  the  next  day.  We  pas- 
sed the  Island  of  St.  Martins — the  sight  of  which 
brought  fresh  to  my  mind  the  scenes  of  former 
days.  It  was  there  I  had  formed  my  first  hopes 
of  happiness — and  it  was  there  that  those  hopes 
were  all  blasted.     I  took  a  retrospective  view  of 

'      II*  ^ 


At: 


164 


EUNNEU/S 


my  past  misfortunes,  and  it  brought  a  deep  sigh 
from  my  bosom. 

We  arrived  safe  at  Rio  do  la  Plata,  and  sold  a 
part  of  our  cargo,  and  from  thence  proceeded 
to  St.  Martha,  where  we  disposed  of  the  remain- 
der. 

There  was  a  French  ship  in  thin  harbor,  ta- 
king in  logwood  and  liides.  81ic  had  lost  four 
men  whose  deaths  were  occasioned  by  the  sting 
of  Scorpions.  1  saw  one  of  them  about  fifteen 
minutes  previous  to  his  death, — he  was  not 
much  swoUfn,  but  his  frame  seemed  convulsed, 
and  was  very  much  inllamed — he  was  stung  in 
the  foot,  and  lived  only  eight  hours — another  was 
stung  in  his  arm,  and  lived  I)ut  three  hours. — 
The  other  two  died  previous  to  our  arrival. 


'I' 


The  largest  1  ever  saw  was  about  as  big  round 
as  a  half  dollar — its  tail  was  two  and  three 
quarter  inches  long,  and  full  of  joints.  Its  sting 
was  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  and  as  sharp  as  v. 
needle.  They  have  six  legs  similar  to  a  spider, 
but  not  as  long,  and  stow  themselves  away  very 
anugly  in  the  crevices  of  logwood.  What  is  ve 
ry  singular,  they  are  perfectly  harmless  after  ha- 
ving been  a  fortnight  at  sea.  We  had  been  at 
sea  thirteen  days,  when,  while  moving  some  of 
the  logwood  in  order  to  trim  thcv  vessel,  one  of 
the  men  was  stung,  but  he  received  no  harm 
from  it.  And  on  taking  out  our  cargo,  we  could 
not  find  one  alive.  1  suppose  they  receive  no 
nourishmeni;  from  the  logwood,  but  only  resort 
to  it  as  a  place  of  safety,  and  by  being  removed 
from  their  natural  element,  they  first  loose  thtir 
power  to  injure,  and  then  die.  , 

We  took  in  a  cargo  of  logwood  and  cotton, 


TRAVELS. 


16$ 


Tind  sailed  for  Baltimore.  We  passed  between 
8t.  Domingo  and  Cuba,  and  came  out  through 
Crooked  Island  passage.  We  passed  between 
the  two  Inlands  in  the  night,  during  a  violent 
thunder  storm,  and  it  was  tin  most  dismal  night 
1  ever  witness^od.  There  was  scarcely  any 
wind,  but  the  most  tremendous  thunder  that  can 
be  imagined,  and  the  sharpest  and  most  vivid 
lightning  I  ever  saw.  We  had  a  conductor  that 
reached  from  each  mast  head  to  the  water,  and 
bore  oil  from  the  vessel  eight  feet,  which  v/as, 
Tio  doubt,  the  means  of  our  not  receiving  any 
damage.  I  saw  the  lightning  run  down  this 
conductor  several  timdb  in  streams  whicli  made 
the  water  (ly  all  over  tfte  vessel. 

We  arrived  at  Baltimore,  after  a  voyage  of 
four  months.  I  now  spent  my  money  freely ; 
ujid  had  been  on  land  but  ten  days  wlicn  my 
landlord  presented  me  a  bill  of  forty-thr«:e  dol- 
lars and  seventy-five  cents,  and  I  had  only  forty 
to  pay  it  with  ;  but  this  did  not  much  frig'.ten 
me,  for  there  were  a  plenty  of  vessels  that  wan- 
ted bands. 

I  soon  shipped  in  the  brig  Corday,  bound  to 
South  America,  Capt.  Codmar.  We  procee- 
ded to  sea,  and  I  soon  found  that  this  vessel  was 
miserably  fitted  out,  and  more  fit  to  be  sold  for 
fire  wood  than  to  take  a  voyage  to  Souih  Ameri- 
ca. I  understood  from  the  Capt.  that  he  was 
cooing  to  Brazil,  but  his  intention  was  to  double 
Cape  Horn,  (and  had  he  attempted  it,  in  this 
vessel,  we  sliould  all  have  been  lost,)  but  in- 
stead of  that  we  landed  at  Cape  Henry. 

The  third  day  out  from  Cape  Henry,  we  ex- 
perienced a  severe  gale.     The  sail  that  ought 


t66 


BUNNELI/8 


to  have  been  the  best  in  the  vessel  to  lay  to  un- 
der, proved  to  bo  the  worst.  It  was  so  full  of 
lioles  that  it  split  to  pieces  before  it  was  set. — 
fihc  waa  a  hermaphrodite  rii^'-s^ed  vessel,  and 
only  square  sail  on  one  side.  VVJiun  we  had  no 
sail  to  lay  to  under,  there  v/as  no  alternative  but 
to  scud — this  wc  were  obliged  to  do  for  forty- 
eight  hours — not  a  soul  on  board  was  allowed  a 
moment's  sleep  during  the  time.  There  were 
two  constantly  at  the  helm,  and  one  at  the 
pump.  The  vessel  was  very  liea\y  laden,  and 
the  sea  making  a  constant  break  over  her,  eve- 
ry man  had  to  be  lashed  to  prevent  being  wash- 
ed overboard. 

Just  as  tlic  gale  abated,  the  sea  was  so  vio- 
lent that  we  lost  our  fore-lop  mast,  fore  yard, 
and  sprung  the  foremast.  Tliis  disaster  w-as  as 
bad  to  a  vessel  of  our  rig,  as  if  she  had  lost  all 
her  masts ;  for  the  one  that  was  left,  was  of  no 
use  without  the  other. 

We  used  every  exertion  to  save  enough  of 
the  rigging  and  spar  from  tlie  wrecked  mast  xo 
enable  us  to  make  sail  on  it  again. 
mf  We  finally  got  the  vessel  laying  to  under  bal- 
ance reefed  mainsail,  and  then  ventured,  after 
having  been  on  deck  71  hours,  to  take  a  little 
sleep.  One  man  had  to  remain  at  the  pump,  so 
we  cast  lots  to  see  who  should  take  the  first 
tour — and  it  fell  on  one  John  Tillman.  It  was 
my  turn  to  get  up  in  two  hours.  We  retired  a- 
bout  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  I  awoke 
about  twelve  at  night,  and  was  greatly  surprised 
to  think  that  I  had  not  been  called.  I  jumped 
out  of  bed  and  ran  on  deck — John  was  asleep, 
and   the  vessel   nearly   sinking.      I   called  all 


.4». 


TRAVELS. 


167 


hands,  and  to  work  we  went,  and  by  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning  we  had  the  water  all  out. 

Now  we  were  at  a  loss  for  some  time  to 
know  what  was  best  to  be  done.  New-York 
was  the  nearest  port,  but  the  wind  was  so  dead 
ahead  that  we  could  not  proceed — wc  accor- 
dingly rigged  our  jury  masts  and  bore  up"  for  the 
Island  of  Bermuda.  The  gale  increased,  and  the 
vessel  leaked  so  bad  that  we  began  to  feel  dubi- 
ous of  getting  her  into  port.  But  we  finally  ar- 
rived— our  vessel  nothing  but  a  wreck,  and  our 
cargo  much  damaged. 

We  got  our  vei^sel  corked  and  all  necessary 
repairs  made,  and  again  sailed.  Wc  had  been 
but  seven  days  out  from  Bermuda,  when  we  a- 
gain  lost  our  fore-top  mast ;  but  we  were  in  the 
trade  winds, — the  weathei-  warm — and  had  a 
smooth  sea.  We  ringed  our  jury  mast  and 
proceeded  for  Rio  de  Janeiro,  where  we  arrived 
without  receiving  any  other  damage,  after  a  pas- 
sage of  67  days.  Prom  thence  we  sailed  for 
Rio  Grande. 

On  our  passage,  we  had  a  trifling  gale,  and 
away  went  our  foremast — this  was  also  a  dam-, 
aged  spar.  We  had  now  been  dismasted  three 
times  during  the  short  space  of  two  months  and 
a  half,  and  were  almost  worn  out  with  fatigue. 
The  leak  had  never  been  less  than  to  keep  one 
pump  going  every  half  hour,  day  and  night. — 
We  made  out  to  get  into  Rio  Grande,  and  sold 
our  cargo. 

We  had  the  vessel  corked,  and  took  in  a  car- 
go of  jerk-beef  for  the  Havanna. 

I  resolved  not  to  go  to  sea  in  this  vessel  again, 
and  accordingly  requested  a  discharge  from  the 


66 


nUNNEM.  » 


captain,  but  he  rcfusr d.  I  }isid  not  forgot  how 
to  runaway — arconlinizly  the  iii^lit  hclorc  the 
vfcyscl  was  to  sail,  I  tool;  tlio  jolly  hoat  aiul  wont. 
onshore  anil  siurirlcd  niyscir  uulil  she,  had  sui- 
Icd.  1  then  wont  to  tlu;  North  (own.  'rinM-u 
are  two  towns  hrrr,  the  Norlli  and  J*^ouih,  .sepa- 
rated by  a  river  lour  miles  wide. 

I  had  no  money — no  cloihes  except  what  I 
had  on — was  in  a  strani^e  contiliy,  uiul  amoriii;  u 
cruel  anil  Miicivili/ed  raee  ol"  heings,  -vlio  Imd 
great  prejudice  ai^ainst  my  eoiinlry.  I  sold  my 
cloth  pea  jacket  lor  tour  dollars,  and  purchased 
a  thin  one  for  lil'ly  cents  ;  the  )en»ainin;jj  three 
dollars  and  a  half  lasted  me  sometime,  for  hccf 
was  ;0idy  one  cent  a  pound, — breiid  eiicap  in 
proportion — water  plenty — wealiier  warm,  and 
I  could  sleep  in  tlie  sand.  Thus  1  aw/fsnf  my- 
self for  a  while — llien  went  to  a  cook  shop-  - 
<'allcd  for  hre^kfast,  and  somelhin^o;  to  driid^ — 
and  felt  as  indcj^emlcnt  as  a  kiiii:; — no  care,  no 
trouble.  I  thought  I  was  as  low  in  circumstances 
as  I  well  could  be,  and  if  there  was  any  change, 
if  must  be  for  the  bet  lor. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  I  got  on 
board  a  Portuguese  vessel,  bound  to  Moide  Vi- 
deo. The  seventh  day  after  we  sailed,  we  were 
wrecked  on  Cape  St.  Mary's,  and  lost  eve?y 
thing — myself  and  four  others  were  all  thar 
were  saved.  Twelve  Portugiiese  pei-ished,  and 
they  ^'were  all  sure  of  heaven" — but  if  they 
had  exerted  themselves  to  have  saved  the  ves- 
sel, instead  of  (ailing  on  tiieir  knees  and  pray- 
ing to  some  Saint,  she  would  not  have  been  losl. 

Our  situation  now  was  a  dismal  one;  we 
were  at  least  one  hundred  miles  from  any  luhn- 


v,. 


»    « 


TttAVELft. 


Ui9 


Inlants  cxrrpt  Indians.  WeiravclUul  four  «lny^, 
subsi^ilini!f  ot»  wild  iVuit,  Ihrou^li  a  vvildcrneHw  in- 
hiibilcd  by  numerous  specioH  (»f  iiionkeyH.  We 
k  llr.d  Rcveral,  and  honie  of  our  company  ate 
tUi'Mi  raw,  but,  altliougb  iialf  slarvod,  I  coubl  not 
touclj  one. 

()}f  tho  lojirlli  day  \\r,  raino  to  some  Indian 
buiM.  The  Indians,  at'lcr  asccrlaininf?  that  we 
had  nothing  wortli  lakini;,  L^avc.  us  ymw.  jerk 
boel",  iukI  one  of  th»Mn  wen!  with  us  as  a  pilot. 
Wv.  passed  Indiin  haltitalions  every  (ht;  .nd  o!» 
the  (dev(!nth  diiy  we  arrived  at  th*'.  town  ol  Louth, 
wtiere  we  were  hospilably  (intcrlained,  ar.il  ha«l 
some  elolhes  i;ivcn  us.  I  niath;  a|;ph<",Jinn  to 
the.  American  a^ent,  Mr.  Brown,  hut  Ite,  s;iid  I 
had  runaway  iVom  ll»e  Charlotte  Corday,  ami 
be  wouM  not  lender  nie  any  assistance. 

SSoon  afterward'^,  I  <;n<jra;,^ed  to  l''o  ahoul  forty 
miles  up  the  river  with  a  i;(!nlleni;'n  (o  fi;;ither 
Orani^es,  and  while  ihere,  I 'lot  af'(juain!ed  with 
an  ohl  priest,  who  after  havini^  asi',eilained  that 
I  was  u  carj)enter,  olfered  me  trrcat  washes  to 
inaUr,  him  some  fmiiitiu'e;  accordini^ly  I  ai^reed 
to  slay.  lb'  furnished  me  some  tools,  and  I 
made  him  tw  f>  biu'ei'us,  a  number  of  he<lsteads. 
Tables,  &c.  I  reniairuul  there  two  months,  and 
the  old  j^enthjmati  treated  me  vvith  irrr-at  inrlul- 
^ence.  I  j^ot  ujood  elolhes  and  had  mc»ney  in  my 
pocket.  \h:  told  mc  thai  he  would  furitish  the. 
materials,  and  that  I  mia:ht  make  fin'niture  to 
well,  and  have  the  half  I  could  make  ;  but  I  could 
not  content  myself  any  Ioniser,  and  resolve(i  to 
go  to  town  in  search  of  an  American  vcHsel,  and 
bade  the  old  reverend  j^ood  bye. 

The  people  at  ibis  place  subsist  almost  vvitli- 


no 


nUNNELLS 


out  commerce.  Wild  cattle  are  very  numerouf:, 
and  when  a  man  comes  across  one  that  is  not 
marked,  he  puts  his  mark  on  it,  which  makes  it 
his,  and  no  one  else  dare  touch  it.  Beef  is 
cheap,  and  the  inliabitants  live  almost  wholly  on 
that  and  wild  fowls.  They  raise  no  wheat,  con- 
sequently bread  is  very  dear. 

They  have  a  kind  oi'  coarse  meal  which  they 
call /arena.  This  is  made  from  a  root — first 
baked  and  then  ground.  It  serves  for  bread  a- 
uiong  the  poorer  class  of  people,  and  is  not  bad 
eating.  »Some  eat  it  in  ll;e  Hour — they  first  put 
a  piece  of  meat  in  liheir  mouth  and  then  a  hand- 
ful of  farena.  It  is  universally  used  throughout 
the  cQuntry,  and  in  all  the  srliips  of  war. 

The  man  with  whom  the  priest  and  myself 
boarded,  owned  two  thousand  head  of  cattle,  and 
made  two  or  three  tons  of  jerk  beef  every  year. 
This  is  made  by  cutting  the  meat  from  the  bones, 
in  slices  about  half  an  inch  thick,  which  are  dip- 
ped in  strong  brine,  then  spread  on  poles,  and 
when  peifeclty  dry,  it  is  put  up  in  large  stacks 
and  covered  over  with  hides.  It  will  keep  in 
this  way,  if  kept  dry,  in  the  hottest  climates  as 
long  as  salt  beef  will  in  this  country.  It  is  sent 
by  shipping  to  dillercnt  parts  of  Portugal  and 
Spain.  I  believe  no  other  nations  use  it.  Their 
whole  exports  are  jerk  b6ef,  hides,  tallow  and 
horns — their  imports,  are  flour,  salt,  hams,  &c. 

After  my  arrival  at  the  town  of  Louth,  I  saun- 
tered round  for  several  days,  perfectly  at  a  loss 
what  was  best  to  do.  There  were  several  ve&- 
eels  in  the  harbor,  but  none  American. 

This  place  ii?  rather  singular  on  account  of  wa- 
ter.    For  ten  miles  round  the  mouth  of  the  riv- 


■J-- 


TRAVELS. 


171 


cr,  it  is  nothing  but  barren  sand,  and  of  so  light 
a  nature  that  it  shifts  with  the  wind.  There  is 
one  place  of  nboul  one  mile  square,  that  is  per- 
fectly level.  On  tliis  plane,  by  dip^ging  one  foot 
you  can  procure  fresh  water.  Tiie  sand  is  so 
light  that  the  water  will  not  rise  above  two  or 
three  inclies,  and  requires  to  he  bulled  out  witli 
some  small  vessel.  This  is  the  only  way  water 
can  be  procured.  Vessels  generally  leave  one 
njan  on  shore,  who  can,  by  digging  several  holes 
near  each  other,  procure  three  hundred  gallons 
per  day.  I  have  seen  good  fresh  water  got  not 
to  exceed  six  feet  from  the  salt  water,  and  in  fact 
the  whole  of  tliis  tiat  is  nearly  surrounded  by 
salt  water. 

The  current  of  the  river  is  very  rapid,  and  is 
f;;iioly  ruled  by  tlic  wind.  1  have  seen  the 
cuis'tnt  run  Hood  for  three  davs  wliile  the  wind 
was  up  the  river,  and  the  same  when  it  was  to 
the  reverse.  When  it  is  calm,  there  is  no  per- 
ceptible current,  neither  does  the  water  rise  or 
tall. 

One  day  there  came  into  the  harbor  a  Brazil- 
ian Man-of-war,  (Isabella,)  built  for  a  privateer, 
hut  not  being  launched  in  time,  was  sold  to  a 
jnerchant  in  Philadelpliia,  from  which  place  she 
sailed  for  the  coast  of  Chili,  and  being  much 
icjured  off  Cape  Horn,  was  obliged  to  put  back 
in  distress,  and  w^as  sold  into  the  Brazilian  ser- 
vice. [The  Brazilians  at  this  time  were  pres- 
sing seamen,  of  all  nations,  into  their  service. — 
Commodore  Biddle,  in  the  Macedonian,  took 
all  American  seamen  from  them  that  wished  to 
ffo,  whether  volunteers  or  not.]  Hhe  was  a  very 
iiuudsome  vessel.     One  day  I  walked  down  on 


172 


Bunnell's 


the  wharf  to  take  a  look  at  her,  and  was  accoB- 
ted  by  six  marines  with  aseri^eantat  tlieir  l»ead. 
The  sergeant  exclaimed — "  Who  arc  you  V  I 
answered,  an  American  seaman.  "  Wliat  vessel 
do  you  belong  to  ?"  None  at  present,  said  I. — 
'*  You  must  come  along  with  us  then,"  said  he, 
*■'  we  have  a  vessel  for  you — you  are  no  Ameri- 
can— you  speak  the  Portuguese  language  tou 
well. 

Expostulation  was  vain;  1  was  dragged  on 
board  without  any  ceremony,  and  compelled  to 
serve  the  Emperor  of  Brazil.  This  was  hard 
for  an  independent  mind — but  I  had  to  bear  it — 
tJiere  was  no  alternative  but  submission. 

The  vessel  was  bound  to  Rio  Janeiro,  and 
railed  (he  next  day  after  I  was  taken  on  board. 
Wo  had  not  been  out  more  than  three  hours, 
wlien  we  fell  in  with  a  Conisarian  privateer,  of 
superior  force.  1  thought  that- 1  should  soon 
be  released — and  gladly  would  have  exchanged 
services,  as  the  Conisarian  gayernment  was  con- 
genial to  my  principles,  and  was  struggling  for 
freedoni. 

The  Isabella  mounted  one  long  twenty-four 
(brass)  pounder,  and  two  twelve  pound  carron- 
ades,  with  a  complement  of  forty-four  men. — 
The  other,  (I  could  nol  learn  her  name,)  moun- 
ted one  long  eighteen  on  a  pivot,  and  two  long 
sixes.  She  was  to  the  leeward  of  us,  and  could 
tight  three  guns  on  the  weather  side,  but  we, 
having  to  fight  our  guns  oil  our  lee  side,  and  car- 
rving  all  snil  at  the  same  time,  could  only  use 
»iie  long  gun. 

A  running  tight  commenced,  which  lasted 
three  hours.  The  privateer  could  not  get  near 
us,  or  we  should  have   been  taken  in  less  than 


TRAVELS. 


173 


five  minutes — the  Brazilians  cannot  stand  close 
qutirterp. 

We  got  clear  by  our  superiority  /of  sailing ; 
but  the  ditFerencc  was  trifling,  (and  1  afterwards 
learned  that  one  man  built  both  vessels.)      ^ 

The  Isabella  was  cut  literally  to  pieces — her 
bulwarks  were  all  knocked  down — main  boom  , 
shattered — two  or  three  shot  went  through  her 
hull,  and  killed  and  wounded  seven  men. — 
Among  the  killed  there  was  a  mulatto  man  who 
belonged  in  Philadelphia.  He  sailed  in  the  Isa- 
bella and  when  she  was  sold,  was  forced  to  vol- 
unteer. 1  lost  in  him  my  only  friend  and  com- 
panion, for  no  one  could  hate  or  detest  the  Por- 
tuguese worse  than  I  did.  There  is  no  people 
in  tlie  world  I  owe  wo  great  a  spite — the  Turky 
exceyted. 

W(;  arrived  in  liiojaneiro,  and  I  was  deter- 
mined to  write  to  the  American  Consul  for  my 
release  ;  hut  tlie  wiiole  ciew  were  put  on  board 
tiie  Don  Pedro,  a  74  guardsliip.  and  scarcely  al 
lowed  to  look  over  the  Side.  At  sundown  we 
were  put  below,  and  sefitinels  placed  on  thr 
liatchwavs  : — we  were  al'owed  but  one  at  a  time 
to  come  on  deck,  until  daylight ;  this  was  hard 
when  not  deserved,  and  I  should  have  died,  had 
this  coniineinen'i  lasted  long ;  but  it  did  not. 

One  day,  all  the  Americans  and  English  were 
mustered  to  lie  sent  lo  a  brig  that  was  bound  up 
the  MediteiTaneun.  This  was  glorious  news  to 
me,  as  it  would  give  me  an  opportunity  to  write 
lo  some  Consul  or  Captain  in  the  navy,  which 
would  probably  be  the  means  ofgetling  me  clear 
— at  all  events,  1  was  fully  determiaed  n«ver  to 
/vturn  iu the  vejisel  alive. 


1T4 


BONNELI/S 


There  were  about  fifty  Americans  and  Eng 
lish,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  Portuguese.  We 
were  sent  on  hoard  tlie  Dutchess  of  Guise,  a 
new  and  as  fine  a  vessel  as  I  ever  saihid  in. — 
8he  mounted  sixteeiLlS  pound  carronades,  and 
two  brass  nines — I  never  saw  a  vessel  that  could 
outsail  her.  We  were  only  about  half  supplied 
with  provisions  and  water  for  so  long  a  voyage, 
and  consequently  suffered  a  great  dt;al  for  the 
want  of  them;  but  after  a  long  and  tedious  pas- 
sage, we  made  the  soutli  coa^i  of  Africa. 

We  anchored  and  went  on  shore  for  the  pur- 
pose of  purchasing  a  few  liogs  of  tiie  natives. — 
We  saw  some  on  tlie  beach,  hut  they  tied  at  our 
approach,  and  we  returned  as  we  went,  and  pre- 
ceedcd  on  our  voyoi^e. 

The  brig  was  sent  with  despatches  to  the 
Emperor  of  Austria. 

We  at  last  entered  the  gut  of  Gibraltar,  and 
proceeded  from  thence  to  Leghorn,  where  we 
arrived  Deccml-er  19,  182G. 

1  ^vas  now  l>cnt  on  absconding  tije  first  op- 
portunity. 

There  was  a  Lieutenant  on  board  by  rhc 
name  of  Appleton,  nephew  to  the  American  Con- 
sul at  Leghorn,  to  whom  he  wrote,  stating  that 
there  were  no  Americans  on  board  but  volun- 
teers, and  coRsenuentlv  lie  could  not  release  us. 
There  were  nine  Americans  on  board,  and  I  be- 
lieve I  was  the  only  one  [)r8ssed. 

We  lay  tliere  until  February,  1827,  before  an 
opportunity  presented  for  me  to  get  on  siiorr. 
At  last,  by  hard  persuasion,  and  very  fair  promi- 
ses, i  gained  permission  for  twenty-four  hours. 
I  got  one  month's  pay  and  went  on  shore ;  but 


■ 


TRAVELS. 


175 


then  how  to  get  away  was  the  next  job.  1  was 
an  utter  stranger  in  the  place,  but  the  Portu- 
guese language,  and  that  spoken  there,  bore  sqch 
;in  affinity  to  eacli  other,  that  I  could  make  theni 
understand  me  much  better  than  I  could  by 
i«peaking  Englisli.  There  were  a  number  of 
Americans,  English,  Irish,  kc.  who  kept  grog 
shops,  but  it  was  belter  to  trust  the  devil  than 
one  of  tliem — they  would  betray  you  for  a  dollar 
— they  have  no  compassion  on  distress  or  niis- 
fortune,  unless  they  can  Jill  their  pockds  by  the 
means — money  is  their  only  object,  and  I  have 
found,  invariably,  where  that  is  the  predominant 
virtue  in  a  human  bosom,  all  commiseration  van- 
ishes. When  once  the  sordid  love  of  gold  takes 
possession  of  the  heart,  it  is  callous  to  every  oth- 
er feeling — there  is  no  room  for  fity. 

Having  been  for  some  time  secluded  from  th« 
world,  as  it  were,  I  got  into  one  of  those  ''  land 
craimH''  peculiar  to  men  of  my  callin-j;;  but  soon 
found  that  I  was  not  in  New- Vork,  nor  any  oth- 
er port  in  the  U.  States.  Rambling  through  the 
^;^^eet,s,  in  quite  a  merry  mood,  (of  course,)  I 
ran  afoul  of  the  patrol,  who  caused  me  to  be. 
jugged  up  for  •'  safe  keepin.^."  As  may  well 
be  supposed,  1  did  not  like  this  treatment  at  ail ; 
and  being  in  high  glee,  gave  the  first  anwer  that 
came  to  hand  to  any  question  that  uas  aske<i. 
When  asked  "what  vessel  I  belonged  to?*"  I 
ansv7eied,  none.  '^'  What  vessel  did  you  c<un« 
here  in  ?"  None ;  I  came  by  land.  ''  What  is 
your  name?"  Peter  Spriggins.  [I  afterwards 
learned  that  this  was  all  taken  down,  and  proved 
the  means  of  my  getting  clear  from  the  brig  ;  for 
had  f  told  them  what  vessel  I  cumo  in.,  I  should 


■\: 


>v 


176 


BUNNELL^S 


have  been  sint  back  immediately,  and  been  se- 
verely punished,  for  I  had  already  stayed  three 
days  over  my  lime ;  but  the  prison  completely 
concealed  me.] 

The  next  morning  I  was  aj^ain  interrogated,  to 
*ee  ir  my  stories  would  agree.  I  was  determin- 
ed not  to  give  them  any  clue  as  to  what  vessel  1 
belonged  to,  and  told  them  that  I  came  from  Na- 
ples, a  passenger.  When  asked  what  employ- 
ment I  followed,  1  told  tliem  tliat  1  ex])ected  an 
American  vessel  there  shortly  and  w  as  going  iw 
her.  This  seemed  to  satisfy  them,  f  was  o- 
bliged  to  slick  to  the  name  of  i^'pri'jri^ins  ;  but 
that  made  no  diflerence  with  me ;  I  could  live 
in  H  torcign  country  as  well  by  one  name  as  a- 
nolher.  They  saiti  that  I  had  been  guilty  of  a 
breaiih  of  tlieir  Police  laws,  by  being  in  the 
streets,  after  hours  vvlien  1  iiad  no  particular  bu- 
siness. I  told  them  that  1  was  a  stranp;cr  to 
th<^irlaws,  or  I  should  have  conformed  to  thrm, 
and  that  1  was  not  in  the  habit  of  transgressing 
the  laws  of  any  country.  "  Well.  Mr.  v^priggins,"' 
said  the  inlerrogater,  "you  have  not  comniittid 
any  thing  criminal,  and  I  will  represent  your 
case  to  tlie  police  commandant,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  i^e  will  allow"  you  to  be  released-— in  the 
mean  time  it  is  my  duty  to  confine  you." 

i  was  then  put  into  a  room  with  three  Italians, 
and  ijad  a  loaf  of  bread,  jug  of  water,  and  a  small 
blanket  allowerl  me.  My  companions  had 
friends  in  the  town  who  hroughttheni  victuals 
t\yo  or  three  times  a  day — this  they  received  by 
means  of  a  string  irom  the  grated  w^indow. — 
They  were  kind  enough  to  give  me  whenever 
they  had  more  than  they  wanted  themselves. 


niATBLS. 


nr 


Two  days  after  my  confinement,  1  was  taken 
with  a  violent  pain  in  the  head,  and  a  high  fever. 
When  the  jailor  came  in  the  morning,  I  made 
known  to  Iiim  my  situation,  and  in  about  an  houi 
afterwards,  a  doctor  arrived  who  felt  my  pulse, 
and  ordered  me  to  the  hospital,  where  I  was  full 
as  closely  confined  as  while  in  the  prison.  Th(^ 
door  was  only  opened  when  the  doctor  came  isi, 
or  tsonie  one  bringing  provisions.  1  was  very 
«ick  for  three  days,  when  I  began  slowly  to  rt- 
cover. 

There  were  two  Americans  up  stairs,  but  be- 
ing a  prisoner,  I  was  not  allowed  to  visit  them. 
I  soon  ascertained,  however,  that  they  belonged 
i)  the  Brig  I  had  left,  and  I  made  no  further  in- 
quiries concerning  them,  for  fear  they  would  be 
the  means  of  having  mc  detected.  A  fortnigtit 
uflerwards,  i  learned  that  they  had  recovered,  and 
that  the  brig  to  which  they  belonged  had  sailed. 
This  gave  me  some  satisfaction,  as  I  knew  that  f 
was  then  clear  from  her. 

As  soon  as  I  ha«l  entirely  recovered  from  my 
sickness,  I  was  again  put  in  prison.  Soon  af- 
terwards, I  was  called  up  before  several  IVhile 
Wigs,  one  of  whom  spoke  English.  He  put  to  me 
the  following  questions. 

•*  Where  was  you  born  f  (I  knew  he  would 
never  go  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  my  assertion  ; 
so  I  gave  hiiu  whatever  answer  came  first  to 
mind.)  U.  States  of  America.  "  What  part  V' 
New- York.  "  How  old  are  you  V  Thii^y. — 
*•  Your  name,  you  say,  is  Spriggins— what  was 
your  father's  occupation!"  Gimb/et  maker, — 
"  If  you  are  freed  from  this  prison,  how  do  you 
.  ibteud  to  gam  a  livelihood,  ani^how  long  do  yoa 

12    . 


178 


BCNNELL'tl 


intend  to  stay  in  Leghorn  1"  My  occupation  i* 
the  sea,  and  1  intend  to  embrace  the  firsit  oppor- 
tunity for  going  there ;  consequently  I  shall  leave 
Leghorn  as  soon  as  I  can  get  a  chance.  "There 
are  a  number  of  vessels  now  in  port  wanting 
hands,  but  none  belonging  to  your  country, — 
what  will  you  do  in  that  case?''  Go  on  some 
other,  said  I,  as  soon  as  possible.  "  Well  then," 
continued  he,  ''  we  will  see  about  it." 

I  was  then  ordered  buck  to  my  room,  and  in 
about  an  hour  afterwards,  a  man  came  and  con- 
ducted me  to  the  outer  door — gave  me  a  loaf  ol 
bread,  and  told  me  to  go  where  I  pleased.  I 
stepped  lightly  over  the  pavement,  1  assure  yon, 
and  [broceeded,  with  my  loaf  of  bread,  and  a  dol- 
lar in  my  pocket,  immediately  to  a  cook  shop, 
where,  for  three  rents  and  my  loaf  of  bread,  I 
procured  a  meal  of  victuals,  and  ;i  drink  of  spirits, 
and  soon  felt  quite  comj  or  table. 


CHAPTER  XVni. 


In  a  few  days,  I  shipped  in  a  Polacre,  bound  to 
Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  under  the  Austrian  tlag, 
with  the  intention  of  joining  the  Greeks,  i  was 
led  to  do  this  from  reflecting  upon  what  my 
countrymen  were  doing  for  those  poor  sutlerers, 
and  that  I  had  no  one  to  lament  for  me  should  1 
fall  in  battle — my  mother  and  all  my  relations 
having  long  ere  this  buried  me  in  their  imagi- 
nation, and  that  I  had  stuck  by  my  country  until 
it  was  established  in  smiling  peace,  and  had  no 


TBAYELS. 


n» 


longer  occasion  for  my  services.  I  thought  that 
if  I  lived,  and  the  Greeks  proi^pered,  1  should 
have  the  satisfaction  of  saying  that  I  had  assisted 
in  gaining  their  liherty.  With  my  head  tilled  with 
these  ideas  and  relleclions,  I  proceeded  to  sea. 

There  was  no  American  nor  Englishman  on 
Ihuird  of  tliis  vessel  except  myself,  hut  I  had 
got  in  such  a  way  of  jahbcring  part  Spcinish, 
part  Portiigiiese,  and  a  lillle  Italian,  that  I  pas- 
iefl  among  llicni  very  well.  We  Iiad  a  pleas- 
ant passage  to  the  Archipelago  Islands.  VVhile 
passing  JScio,  wc  were  hoarded  by  a  CSreek 
uchoonc'-r.  I  oOVred  my  services  to  the  Capt. 
(having  previously  got  permission  from  the  Ital- 
iiii  Capt.  to  leave.)  The  name  of  the  schooner 
was  Con.stantinc,  Capt.  Dupont.  There  were 
ic'ivoral  Englishmen  on  board  this  vessel,  and 
one  American  by  the  name  of  Jones,  from  New 
Orleans.  This  vessel  was  small,  and  mounted 
one  long  gun  of  twelve  j)ound  calibre. 

Wc  tirst  cruised  through  the  islands,  and  stop- 
ped at  two  or  three,  for  water,  on  which  there 
were  no  inliabilantJ*.  In  the  course  of  three 
months,  1  was  on  the  island  of  8cio  several  times, 
after  provis^ions,  (which,  at  that  time  was  under 
the  Greeks,  but  was  afterwards  taken  by  the 
Turks,  and  a  total  massacre  succeeded) ;  but  we 
lived  miserably  poor,  having  barely  enough  to  eat 
to  sustain  life.  I  had  enlisted  in  their  service, 
however,  and  was  determined  to  stick  to  them 
tili  the  last  "gun  was  fired." 

We  ran  up  towards  Smyrna,  and  fell  in  with 
four  Turkish  boats,  two  of  which  wc  sank,  the 
other  two  escaped  in  the  night. 

I  bad  been  on  board   the   Constantino  six 

13* 


1^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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1.6 


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Corporation 


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23  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WnSTM.N.Y.  14SI0 

(716)t7!i-4S03 


^^<^' 


'^ 


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iMni 


PPIHM 


ISO 


BVNNBLL^B 


months,  when  she  became  so  foul  on  the  bottom, 
and  was  otherwise  so  much  out  of  repair  thatws 
were  obliged  to  run  into  some  port  to  refit, 
and  accordingly  steered  for  Aegina,  which  ^wa» 
then  the  principal  Greek  sea  port. 

The  sailors  were  all  sent  from  this  port,  to  a 
place  about  twenty  miles  distant,  where  it  wat« 
expected  that  the  Greeks  and  Turks  would  havt 
an  engagement,  but  the  Turks  had  withdrawn 
on  the  evening  previous  to  our  arrival.  We  had 
travelled  from  three  o- clock  in  the  morning  until 
we  arrived  there,  which  was  about  twelve,  M. 
without  receiving  any  refreshment,  and  they 
had  nothing  for  us  there. 

I  l^ad  a  view  of  a  part  of  the  Greek  army, — 
they  were  miserably  clothed,  but  seemed  to  be 
in  good  spirits — The  Battle  of  Navarino  gav* 
them  universal  satisfaction. 

The  reader  will  not  expect  me  to  give  a  de- 
tail of  the  Greek  revolution,  nor  an  exact  acount 
of  their  war,  as  I  am  only  writing  what  more  im- 
mediately happened  to  myself — besides  I  wa« 
but  a  short  time  among  them.  .  I  was  in  a  num- 
ber of  trifling  engagements — one  near  Scio,  in 
which  I  received  a  grape  shot  through  my  leg, 
just  above  the  knee. 

In  every  part  of  Greece,  or  in  all  places  tmder 
their  control,  there  was  nothing  but  the  most 
painful  suffering.  Painful  and  patient  suffering 
bring  from  the  heart  of  the  beholder  all  the  com- 
miseration that  nature  is  capable  of  giving. — 
To  behold  those  poor  souls  suffering  every  ca- 
lamity incident  to  nature,  and  numbers  of  them 
sinking  to  their  graves,  for  the  want  of  the  mean» 
iMcessary  to  sustain  life,  without  a  murmur — 


wmmmm 


TRAT6L8* 


IIM 


and  in  their  dying  moments  proclaim  their  motto 
— "  Hope" — by  which  they  had  resolved  to  live 
or  die-^would  touch  the  heart  of  a  stoic.  We 
irere  at  one  time  blocked  ap  in  Aegina,  until  we 
were  obliged  to  eat  cats  and  dogs,  but  a  murmur 
never  escaped  a  soul. 

The  attention  of  the  Greeks  was  very  much 
attracted  by  the  Russians — and  it  seemed  as  if 
€k>d  had  ordered  that  Greece  should  once  more 
he  free.  But  some  of  their  own  people  were  as 
great  enemies  to  the  nation  as  were  the  Turks. — 
The  sordid  passion  for  wealth  had  crept  in 
among  them,  and  instead  of  straining  every  nerve 
for  the  general  good,  many  have  been  known 
to  load  themselves  with  plunder  and  retire  from 
the  service. 

But,  to  come  to  the  melancholy  termination  of 
my  Greek  services — I  was  ordered,  together  with 
a  number  more  who  had  joined  the  artilleff,  to 
Candia,  one  of  the  largest  islands  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean. We  landed  on  the  south  side  of  the  isl- 
and, about  sunset,  and  joined  a  part  of  the  Greek 
forces  that  lay  tliere,  destined  to  drive  the 
Turks  from  the  island — they  numbered  about 
three  hundred. 

At  daylight  the  next  morning  we  were  to  march 
into  the  interiorof  the  country.  The  party  that 
I  was  attached  to  were  to  take  charge  of  a 
twelve  pound  piece,  as  we  could  all  speak  one 
language,  or  sufficiently  so  as  to  understand  each 
rtther.  After  the  arrangements  were  ell  comple- 
ted for  the  morrow,  we  lay  down  as  comfortable 
«fl  possible  to  wait  for  daylight. 

I  had  a  new  shirt  on,  which  I  had  received  a 
t^w  days  before,  and  understood  that  it  came 


f  r 


180 


BtmNELL.'a 


from  this  country,  ready  made.  As  to  the  rest 
of  my  clothing,  it  was  gO(»d  for  nothing,  except 
uiy  coat,  which  had  belon^(3d  to  an  officer  who 
was  killed.  The  rest  were  clothed  nearly  in  the 
same  manner,  there  being  little  or  no  uniformity 
among  us. 

About  twelve  at  night,  as  near  as  I  could 
guess,  I  heard  the  dreadful  yell  of  the  Turks. — 
In  a  moment  all  wat?  confusion  and  dismay.  W» 
seized  our  arms,  but  couKl  perceive  the  enemy's 
number  to  b^  far  superior  to  our  own.  A  scene 
ensued  that  makes  my  blood  chill  to  relate— al- 
though I  did  not  s^ay  to  see  much  of  it.  Re- 
sistance was  in  vain,  and  all  exerted  themriclves 
to  escs^pe.  For  my  p«rt  I  could  not  tell  wheth- 
er I  was  running  towards  or  from  the  enemy.  At 
length  I  got  in  a  cluster  of  buslies  near  a  small 
stream  of  water,  where  I  sat  down  and  contem- 
plated upon  what  was  best  to  be  done.  I  still 
heard  the  bowlings  of  the  Turks,  and  iheir  Ara- 
bic jargon.  My  coat  having  the  Greek  uniform 
buttons  on  it,  1  took  it  off  and  threw  it  in  the 
stream.  My  commission  as  licuter  ant  iii'the  ser- 
vice of  Greece,  which  I  received  when  I  joined 
the  artillery,  was  in  one  of  tlie  pock(  ts.  This 
commission  was  given  me  by  General  Marakno, 
but  had  not  been  ratified  by  the  President. 

At  length  daylight  appeared,  and  discovered  to 
me  the  whole  scene.  I  was  smrounded  by  rocks, 
excepting  the  beach,  where  the  Turks  were  just 
in  the  act  of  embarking. 

The  bushes  where  I  was  were  but  a  small 
cluster,  and  a  party  that  had  been  back  in  search 
of  plunder,  came  suddenly  upon  me.  They  sei- 
zed  me,  and   demanded,   apparently  in    great 


4- 


TRAVELS. 


I8S 


rage,  my  name — what  countryman  I  was,  &c. — 
I  tald  them,  in  English,  tliat  I  was  an  Ameri- 
can." The  fellow  who  addressed  me  had  his 
scimetar  raised  to  sever  my  liead  from  my  body ; 
Ujt  at  the  sound  of  Jlmerican^  he  lowered  his 
hand  and  jabbered  something  to  his  companions, 
und  they  drove  me  before  them  to  the  beach, 
where  the  remainder  of  the  Turks  were,  and 
took  me  before  their  commanding  officer.  He 
asked  me,  in  French,  who  I  was,  and  if  I  was 
m  the  service  of  Greece  ?  and  many  other 
questions,  but  I  all  the  vhile  pretended  to  be  ig- 
norant of  his  meaning.  I  showed  them  my  arm, 
on  which  is  imprinted  aii  American  coat  of  arms. 
They  knew  the  flag,  and  surveyed  it  for  some 
time,  very  attentively,  and  then  had  some  con- 
versation together  that  I  could  not  understand. 
"  Liberty"  is  engraven  under  the  coat  of  arms, 
and  they  could  not  IranslatQ  it.  They  consulted 
together  some  time,  as  I  supposed,  upon  what 
should  be  done  with  me,  which  gave  me  a  little 
time  to  survey  the  scene  around.  The  ground 
was  completely  strewed  with  the  dead  and  dy- 
ing. I  could  not  cast  my  eyes  in  any  direction 
but  what  I  would  discover  the  mangled  bodies 
of  my  murdered  companions.  There  was  a 
creek,  or  little  river,  which,  for  aught  I  know, 
might  have  been  the  celebrated  Lethe,  as  Mount 
Ida  was  in  sight,  emptied  itself  into  the  Mediter- 
ranean, near  where  we  stood.  Anchored  off, 
lay  four  Turkish  feluccas  in  which  they  had  lan- 
ded. In  a  few  moments  they  brought  my  coat 
that  had  been  picked  up  by  one  of  them,  and 
first  pointed  to  that  and  then  to  me,  as  much  as 
to  ask  me  if  it  was  mine.    It  struck  me  that  it 


184 


BIRNNELL'S 


would  be  better  for  ine  not  to  own  it,  and  I  shook 
my  head.    They  then  took  .ly  commission  that 
■had  been  taken  from  one  of  (he  pockets,  and  point- 
ed me  to  my  name ;  I  also  shook  my  head  to  this, 
and  wrote  in  the  sand  with  my  finger,  Spriggins, 
They  then  took  me  to  view  tlie  dead  bodies,  in 
order  to  point  out  to  them  the  person  that  own- 
ned  the  coat.     Fortunately  for  me,  there  were 
several  who  had  worn  thin  jackets,  and  had  ta- 
ken them  off  the  night  previous  to   this   bloody 
scene,  and  u^ed  them  for  pillows.      The  first 
person  1  came  to  without  a  coat,  I  surveyed  at- 
tentively, and  seeing  another  without  a  coat,  not 
far  off,  I  thought,  to  make  it  a'jpear  more  authen- 
tic, I  <  would  go  there ;    I  went,  and  after  eui^ 
veying^  him  some  time,  told  them  that  he  was  tht 
owner  of  the  coat.     This  seemed  to  satisfy  them, 
and  they  grinned  with  a  kind  of  horrible  satisfac- 
tion to  think  that  they  had  killed  a  lieutenant  in 
ihe  artillery,  which  had  been  veiy  destructive  to 
them  in  several  engagements.     They  kept  the 
coat  and  paper,  and  after  binding  my  hands  be- 
lund  me,  I  was  embarked  on  board  a  felucca, 
which  soon  afterwards  sailed. 

There  were  about  three  hundred  Turks  in 
this  corps.  They  were  well  armed  with  scime- 
tui'S,  and  most  of  them  had  two  braces  of  pistols 
in  the  belts  around  their  bodies,  besides  a  small 
cutlass  or  long  knife.  Many  of  them  had  the 
hilts  of  their  sabres,  and  breeches  of  their  pis- 
tols mounted  with  silver.  They  were  the  most 
ferocious  looking  beings,  in  human  shape,  that 
can  be  imagined.  Their  long  black  mustachio* 
atid  turbans  gave  them  a  most  frightful  appear-- 


»    •      ».  r^-- 


mmmmm 


TRAVELS. 


18& 


it 


fincc.  About  noon  they  took  something  to  cat, 
and  gave  me  none,,  although  1  was  almost  fam- 
ished. Tliey  generally  eat  cross-lpgged  on  deck, 
and  were  almost  constantly  smoking.  The 
breeze  was  light,  and  the  weather  pleasant,  but 
I  had  no  chance  to  view  the  surrounding  coun- 
try through  which  we  passed,  as  I  was  constanly 
kept  below.  My  reflections  may  be  more  easily 
imagined  than  described. 

At  the  place  to  which  the  Turks  were  des- 
tined, I  had  some  hopes  of  Ending  an  American 
Consul,  and  get  released.  I  was  determined, 
however,  not  to  let  them  know  that  1  had  vol- 
unteered among  the  Greeks,  nor  ^he  length  of 
time  I  had  been  with  them. 

I  joined  the  Greeks,  April  27,  1827,  and  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Turks  Dec.  9, 1827.  The 
same  day,  as  1  have  before  stated,  I  was  embar- 
ked, together  with  all  the  Turks,  on  board  of 
feluccas,  and  sailed.  The  next  day  all  were 
disembarked  at  a  fort,  the  name  of  which  I  do 
not  now  recollect.  I  was  taken  up  a  hill,  on  the 
top  of  which  there  stood  a  large  fortification, 
to  the  left  of  which  I  saw  a  beautiful  city,  which  1 
afterwards  learned  was  Athens.  When  I  arri- 
ved at  the  gate  of  the  fort  1  was  blindfolded, 
and  then  led,  for  aught  I  knew,  to  execution ; — 
but  at  length  I  arrived  at  a  place  which  felt  cool 
sind  damp,  when  my  bandages  were  taken  off, 
and  1  was  left  to  my  reflections  in  a  dismal  dun- 
geon— alone,  and  half  starved — having  ^oaten 
nothing  since  my  capture,  except  a  small  Int  of 
bread.  I  sat  down  on  the  floor,  which  I  foun' 
was  stone ;  but  I  was  in  such  a  depressed  stati 
o(  mind,  that  I  could  reflect  on  nothing — there-' 


186 


BUlfXELL'fl 


fore  I  shall  leave  the  reader  to  reflect  for  me,  and 
judge  of  my  feelings, 

1  had  been  in  this  place  about  one  hour,  when 
1  heard  the  harsh  gratings  of  the  resounding 
holts,  and  in  a  few  minutes  .two  Turks  entered. 
My  hands  vvere  untied  and  put  in  liandcuff??, 
which  fitted  close  around  my  wrist — connected 
by  a  chain  about  eight  inches  long,  and  the 
size  of  a  common  trace  chain.  They  then  gave 
ine  a  jug  of  water,  a  bit  of  bread,  a  small  piece 
of  salt  fish,  and  left  me.  They  had  some  con- 
versation with  each  other,  but  said  nothing  to 
me.  From  the  light  they  brought,  I  took  a  faint 
view  of  my  apartment.  It  was  stone  all  round 
— over'  head  and  underfoot,  without  any  furni- 
ture except  my  jug.  Whether  it  was  day  ov 
night  I  could  not  tell,  as  the  passage  leading  to 
my  dungeon  was  so  intricate  or  obstructed,  that 
when  the  door  was  open  I  could  not  dis- 
cern* day-light.  About  an  hour  after  the  first 
visit,  a  Turk  entered,  bringing  a  bundle  of  straw, 
which  he  tlirew  down  and  immediately  retired, 
locking  the  door  as  usual.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  enter  into  a  detail  of  every  particular  visit ; 
they  were  all  nearly  the  same.  Not  a  word  was 
spoken  to  me.  I  gave  up  all  hopes  of  delive- 
rance, and  even  of  life.  I  knew  that  1  could  not 
stand  such  rigid  confinement  long,  end  thought 
that  I  would  nearly  as  lief  die  ?s  live ;  and 
sometimes  even  had  thoughts  of  terminating!:  my 
own  existence ;  but  on  turlher  reflection,  conclu- 
ded that  He  who  allowed  me  to  be  confined, 
would  also  support  and  release  me. 

Day  succeeded  day,  but  I  could  discern   no 
diflercnce  between  day  and  night— it  was  all  the 


imimmpi^m 


HPM 


TBATBL8. 


18t 


^ame  to  me.  I  had  said  to  myself  in  Leghorn 
prison,  that  I  was  as  low  as  1  could  be,  but  \ 
now  found  myself  much  lower.  Still,  llattering 
hope  told  me  that  my  confinement  would  not  be 
perpetual.  My  situation,  deplorable  as  it  was, 
was  no  worse  I  thought,  than  when  I  was  on  the 
vessePs  boUom  in  the  middle  of  the  ocean ;  and 
He  who  saved  me  from  tliat  wreck,  can,  if  he 
thinks  proper,  release  me  from  prison.  1 
thought  on  the  words  of  the  old  Negro — '*  Put  dy 
trust  in  de  Lord" — But  had  I  done  so  1  No. 
I  had  scarcely  ever  thought  of  him  except  when 
in  the  midst  of  misfortune  and  danger,  and  I 
could  hardly  have  the  conscience  now  to  call  on 
him. 

*J|L  4t  4fe  4C*  <i*  4t 

TV  *Iv  TT  ^r  nv  W 

At  length  I  was  taken  out  of  this  dungeon ; 
my  eyes  could  hardly  bear  the  light,  although  I 
had  been  in  but  a  short  time — it  seemed  how- 
ever years  to  me.  I  was  taken  into  a  room 
where  sat  eight  or  ten  high  Turks  on  a  carpet, 
cross-legged,  and  were  all  smoking.  1  was  ask- 
ed, by  an  interpreter,  the  following  questions : — 

"  What  countryman  are  you?" 

An  American. 

"  Did  your  government  send  you  to  assist  the 
Greeks,  and  if  so,  how  long  have  you  been  »- 
mong  them '?" 

My  government  knows  nothing  of  my  bdng 
here,  and  I  have  been  among  tho  Greeks  but 
two  months. 

"  How  came  you  among  them  ?'* 

\  was  cast  away  on  one  of  their  islands,  an4 
could  not  get  away. 


IM 


aUKSKLlsB 


any    commission   among 


''Did    jou    hold 
them  ?" 

I  did  not. 

[He  then  read  the  appointment  found  in  ro}r 
pocket,  the  whole  being  in  Greek,  except  inj 
name,  which  he  pronounced  very  forcibly — and 
»aid — "He  is  an  American  or  an  Englishman."] 

**Do  yo\i  know  the  man  who  owned  the 
.coat  }  and  if  so,  what  countryman  was  he?" 

I  was  but  partially  acquainted  with  him.  1 
believe  he  was  either  an  American  or  an  English- 
man. 

"We  believe  it  to  be  youre;  but  we  are 
friends  to  the  Americans,  and  do  not  wish  to  in- 
jure one  of  them.  But  those  who  fight  against 
us  without  a  cause,  we  put  to  death.  We  cannot 
prove  that  to  be  your  name ;  and  as  you  think 
proper  to  deny  it — vvhat  is  your  name?" 

Peter  Spriggins. 

'•  What  part  of  the  United  States  was  you 
born  in." 

(For  fear  they  might  have  traced  my  sailing 
from  Leghorn,  as  1  knew  the  Austrians  were  fa- 
vorable to  the  Turks — I  answered,) — ^New  York- 
All  the  time  this  investigation  was  going  on, 
no  one  in  the  room  paid  any  attention  to  me  but 
the  interrogator  and  scribe,  who  wrote  down 
every  word  of  the  investigation,  and  after  it  was 
all  through  with,  he  handed  it,  with  profound 
respect,  to  one  of  the  big  fellows^ — they  all  sat 
on  the  floor, — he  looked  over  it ;  then  handed  it 
to  the  one  next  to  him,  and  thus  it  passed  among 
the  whole.  The  first  one  who  read  it,  then 
turned  to  the  interrogator,  and  addressed  him  for 
a  few  moments,  when  they  all  arose  from  tb« 


mmm 


TRAVELS. 


189 


ftoor,  and  walked  off,  not  deigning  to  cast  at  m« 
scarcely  an  inquiring  look. 

The  interpreter  then  pronounced  my  uwful 
«t|j[itence,  which  seemed  to  me  nearly  equal  to 
death.  "  You  have  been  found,"  said  he,  "■  fight- 
ing against  us,  without  the  consent  of  your  go- 
vernment— if  you  had  been  sent  by  them,  we 
should  take  your  head  o&\  and  call  your  country 
to  an  account ;  but  we  are  iviUinf^  to  believe 
that  you  was  not  a  volunteer,  but  arc  dubiouH 
uf  it,  and  we  are  determined  that  you  shall  not 
light  against  us  again.  Therefore,  you  have  been 
sentenced  to  remain  in  solitary  contiiiement  untii 
peace  with  the  Greeks  shall  be  secured." 

Will  you  not,  said  I,  allow  me  to  write  to  some 
American  (.^onsul  J  Peihaps  he  will  intercede 
for  my  release.  *'  No,"  said  he,  "  you  may  think 
yourself  highly  favored  by  having  your  life 
spared ;  we  do  not  often  use  our  prisoners  an 
well." 

He  then  motioned  to  the  guard,  and  they 
<'rame  and  led  me  back  to  the  dungeon.  I  wa« 
taken  through  several  rooms  and  half  dark  pa^^ 
•ages,  until  the  outer  door  of  my  melancholy  abode 
made  its  appearanc^.  At  this  door  stood  anoth- 
er Turk.  I  entered,  and  they  closed  the  door 
and  left  me. 

Heavens!  exclaimed  I,  aloud,  what  am  I  to 
do  ?  Must  I  drag  out  the  remainder  of  my  day** 
in  this  miserable  place?  If  so,  I  pray  God  to 
make  them  short.    ^ 

Everything  went  on  the  same  as  before,  for  a 
number  of  days,  which  seemed  to  me  like  a« 
xfidiiy  yeans. 

▲t  last,  I  wa9  taken  out — blindfolded,  and  led 


190 


DUNMELl/a 


to  the  gate  of  the  fortress,  wlicre  the  banda^ft 
was  taken  from  my  eyes ;  but  at  first  I  could 
•oarcely  see ;  every  thing  looked  dim ;  but  I 
could  discern  the  spires  of  Athens.  It  was  junt 
as  the  sun  wns  sinking  behind  the  curtains 
uf  night,  and  I  really  thought  that  I  was  going  to 
be  released;  but  I  was  disappointed.  I  was 
8»'nt  on  board  of  a  vessel,  and  ordered  below, 
and  could  not  tell  where  I  was  going.  The  ves- 
aei  soon  got  under  way,  and  the  next  niglif,  about 
eleven  o'clock,  I  was  ordered  up,  and  disembar- 
ked, where,  I  could  not  tell. 

During  this  short  passage,  I  had  what  beel' 
and  bread  I  wanted,  and  I  ale  so  such  that  1 
made  rtiysclf  sick. 

I  was  put  into  a  cell,  with  some  straw  for  a 
bed.  I  could  not  corijeclure  where  I  was,  nor 
could  i  find  out  until  I  was  released.  But  what 
t  glorious  change  from  the  prison  out  of  which  ( 
Iiad  just  been  taken !  There  was  an  air  hole, 
al»out  seven  by  nine  inches  square,  and  the  cell 
ivus  otherwise  lighted. 

A  Turk  came  in  and  brought  me  a  jug  of  wa- 
ter and  a  bit  of  bread,  which  was  all  that  I  hud 
to  eat  or  drink. 

The  next  day  after  my  confinement,  I  was  ta- 
ken very  sick,  and  there  was  no  attention  paid  to 
my  sufferings.  They  brought  me  my  regular  ra- 
tions, but  my  appetite  was  gone.  When  I  be- 
gan to  recover  a  little,  I  found  that  the  wafer  in 
my  jug,  which  contained  about  three  gallons,  had 
become  stale,  and  they  never  brought  me  any 
fresh  as  long  as  there  was  any  remaining  in  th« 
jug.  How  to  remedy  this,  I  did  not  at  first  know. 
After  a  little  cogitation,   however,   I    thought 


to 


1^  - 


^m^ 


TRATELS. 


191 


to  dig  a  hole  through  the  floor,  and  emp- 
ty 'he  water  out,  which  would  be  the  mean* 
of  having  fresh  water  brought  me—  accordingly 
I  took  my  knife  and  went  to  work,  in  one  corner 
of  the  ctlJ,  and  fortunately  found  the  stone  to 
be  quite  soft,  and  soon  got  a  hole  through  suffi- 
ciently large  to  accomplish  my  plan, — I  had 
fresh  water,  after  this,  every  other  day. 

A  day  or  two  after  I  had  accomplished  this,  fi 
rat  came  into  my  cell ;  whether  he  came  through 
the  hole  or  some  other  way,  I  cannot  sa}' ;  but 
he  became  tame,  and  before  I  Wii.-,  released, 
would  cat  out  of  my  hand. 

[It  is  useless  to  detail  my  suflerngs,  from  day 
to  dfly,  while  in  this  dungeon,  foi  uiey  bear  such 
a  saaiejiess,  that  they  would  not  be  interesting ; 
md  furthermore,  it  is  painful  for  me  to  reilect 
upon  them.] 

One  night,  after  I  had  resigned  myself  to  my 
straw,  I  was  surprised  by  the  appearance  of  a 
Turk.  I  first  thought  that  he  had  come  to  take 
my  life,  and  end  my  misery  at  once,  which  would 
have  been  an  act  of  charity ;  but  that  virtue  1 
knew  was  a  stranger  to  the  bosom  of  a  Turk. — 
It  was  about  eleven  o'clock — he  bade  me  come 
forth — I  obeyed,  and  was  conducted  out  of  the 
prison.    ' 

This  was  a  pleasant  scene — it  was  the  first 
time  I  had  viewed  the  moon  and  stars  since  my 
confinement — all  nature  was  still,  and  there  was 
wusic  to  mc  even  in  the  night  breeze.  My  ema- 
ciated frame  could  scarcely  support  itself — ray 
clothes  would  hardly  stick  to  my  back — my 
Vdard  TTas  long,  not  having  been  shaved  9inc9  I 


in 


llf7NI*ffit<t/« 


frail  first  taken ;  and  upon  the  whole,  I  was  vji- 
tber  a  trightful  looking  creature. 

Whetlier  the  object  was  to  releive  mc,  or  to 
remove  me  to  some  other  place  of  confinement,  1 
could  nat  tell ;  neither  did  I  know  where  I  had 
been  thus  lonpf  confined.  I  knew,  however,  by 
the  distance  we  had  come  from  Athens,  that  it 
could  not  be  Constantinople,  and  I  supposed 
that  it  was  in  some  of  the  Turkish  fortresses  iu 
the  Arohipclafijo ;  but  I  was  soon  afterwards  in 
formed  tliat  it  was  iu  the  Castle  of  Smyrna. 

I  was  put  ou  board  of  an  Italian  brii?,  and  seu\ 
down  the  Meciiterranean.  Thev  save  n»e  a  bcil 
atnd  a  goo: I  supper. 

The  next  uiorniniif,  we  passed  the  Island  ot 
Delos,  whou  one  of  the  crew  infoimed  me  that  I 
was  free.  ;uul  that  thi*  captain  was  to  land  nu- 
at  liCsj^horn.  v.'hcre  we  arrived  after  a  lonii;  bvi: 
pleasant  pas.'-aa^e,  Marelj  14,  1H30. 

I  n«a«!e  application  to  the  American  Consul, 
nnd  atter  having-  i>tated  my  case  to  1dm,  he  mi 
mediately  rendered  me  assistance.  He  said 
there  war(  no  American  vessel  in  port  at  that  tmw, 
but  that  lie  would  furnish  me  with  board  ami 
lodj^ng*  umll  he  could  procure  me  a  passage  hon»e. 

I  had  tor  a  lonj^  time  had  a  desire  to  set'  the 
interior  of  Italy,  and  accordinsj^ly  told  the  (yon- 
Nul  that  if  he  woidd  be  i^ood  enough  to  furnish 
m«»  witl»  a  little  money,  and  a  passport,  I  wouM 
travel  to  Marseilles,  in  Fraiice,  where  a  grcai 
number  of  American  vessels  resorted,  and  I 
should  stanil  a  better  chance  to  get  a  passaji*^ 
iniuediately  home,  and  furthermore,  e\t  rcise  by 
walking,  wouhl  add  to  my  already  recruiting 
b«aitb.     He   complied   with   my   request,   and 


TRAVELS. 


19S 


fare  me  two  dollars,  and  a  protection  and  pass- 
port. 1  then  had  to  get  a  passport  from  the  Ge- 
noa Consul,  which  would  pass  me  into  that  king- 
dom. At  the  city  of  Genoa  I  was  to  have  my 
passport  renewed ;  which  would  take  me  to 
Nice,  in  France,  where  it  was  again  to  be  re« 
newed,  and  would  then  carry  me  safe  to  Mar- 
seilles. I  started,  end  the  first  night  lodged  at 
Pisa.  I  arrived  in  the  afternoon^  in  time  to  view 
the  celebrated  Leaning  Tower,  and  the  great  St. 
Philips  Church. 

The  next  morning  I  proceeded  on  my  way, 
and  stayed  that  night  at  the  village  of  Sergines. 
Pisa  is  twelve  miles  from  Leghorn,  and  Sergines 
is  fifteen  miles  from  Pisa.  I  was  very  weak, 
and  not  able  to  travel  far  in  a  day.  The  money 
the  Consul  gave  me  would  be  sufficient  to  bear 
my  expenses  to  Genoa,  provided  I  travelled 
twenty  miles  per  day ;  but  I  was  unable  to  travel 
so  far. 

When  I  arrived  at  a  place  called  Spezia,  I 
was  out  of  money.  Spezia  is  a  beautiful  city, 
at  the  bottom  of  the  Gulf  of  Spezia.  I  here  met 
an  English  gentleman.  Sir  Arthur  Willson,  and 
related  to  him  my  situation,  and  he  gave  me  five 
dollars,  together  with  a  list  of  the  names  of  all 
the  places  through  which  I  would  have  to  pass, 
and  their  distances  from  each  other,  which  was  of 
great  service  to  me. 

This  is  the  most  beautiful  country  in  the 
world,  without  exception.  I  often  thought  of 
the  beautiful  lines  of  Goldsmith,  in  his  Tra- 
▼cUer — 

"  Hills  e*er  hills  in  gay  theatric  pride''—* 

aid  in  another  passage —  ^ 

13 


194 


■rNNELL'fl 


*'  Far  to  tha  right  where  Apeniiies  ascends-^ 
Bright  as  the  Summer,  Italy  extends." 

I  passed  tlirough  a  number  of  beautiful  little 
villages  during  my  journey  to  Genoa.  It  re- 
quires a  more  scientific  pen  than  mine  to  de- 
sicribe  this  beautiful  capital,  £gid  its  situation ;  1 
can  merely  say  that  it  is  maL^nificent  and  grand. 
It  stands  in  the  centre  of  a  plain,  and  has  a  de- 
lightful view  as  you  approach  it  from  the  land 
Hide. 

The  American  Consul  at  this  place,  gratitude 
forbids  me  ever  to  forget — he  shall  ever  live  in 
my  memory  with  the  greatest  respect — he  is  de- 
serving the  veneration  of  all  his  countrymen,  and 
the  esteem  of  any  man,  pos.^essed  of  the  least 
degree  of  philanthropy.  tSuch  men  as  Mr. 
Campliell,  of  iSalem,  and  Mr.  V/iloliiic,  of  Mag- 
adoxo,  who  is  mentioned  in  Capt.  Riley's  narra- 
tive, "wduld  bid  defiance  to  all  the  calamities  at- 
tendant on  a  sea-faring  life,  and  laugh  at  all  the 
tvilea  of  inisfortunc.  But  commiseration  can- 
not be  so  extensively  inculcated  or  embraced  as 
to  make  all  men  like  them.  I  received  the 
most  assiduous  attention  from  Mr.  C&mpb^I, 
and  money  sullicient  to  bear  my  expenses  to'Miie 
town  of  Nice.  I  bade  him  aa  afl'ectionate  fare- 
well, only  to  be  forgotten  when  this  heart  shall 
cease  to  beat. 

I  now  had  money  sufficient  to  enable  me  to 
taste  of  a  few  cf  the  delicacies  of  the  country, 
which  my  weakened  constitution  greatly  needed. 
I  con(  luded  to  rest  my  legs  by  a  short  ride,  and 
accordingly  tqok  a  passage  in  the  stage  thirty 
miles,  for  whici)  I  paid  two  dollars. 

I  have  made  it  an  invariable  rule,  ever  since  I 


TBAVfiLft. 


196 


iras  capsized,  and  lost  all  my  money,  never  t9 
want  for  any  thing  that  I  fancied,  provided  I  had 
money  enough  to  purchase  it — and  my  motto 
has  ever  been — //  is  time  enouffh  to  waiity  when 
you  cannot  help  it. 

I  stopped  at  the  end  of  my  thirty  miles,  and 
called  for  a  good  supper  and  lodging,  which  I 
had  long  been  a  stranger  to.  [I  had  travelled, 
heretofore,  through  Italy  on  iha  saving  scale; 
that  is,  living  on  bread  apd  wine.  This  one  caa 
do  very  cheap.  For  fourteen  cents  1  could  pur- 
chase three  bottles  of  wine,  three  loaves  of  bread, 
and  a  night's  lodging.  The  wine  has  not  as 
much  of  an  intoxicating  effect  as  cider,  but«i8 
very  nourishing.  Both  in  France  and  Italy, 
they  have  their  l)igti  and  low  taverns,  both  kept 
by  the  same  person.  A  grand  sign  points  out 
the  place  where  every  thing  can  be  had  that 
heart  can  wish,  by  prying  at  the  rate  of  fifty 
cents  a  meal  for  il,  and  twenty  cents  for  lodging. 
The  low  tavern  is  known  by  a  pine  brush  hung 
over  the  door.  Here  tlic  poor  traveller  rcscrtf? — 
calls  for  his  loaf  and  bottle,  and  if  he  can  aflbrd 
it,  three  cents  worth  of  salt  fish,  out  of  which  I 
have  made  many  a  hearty  meal.^ 

After  supper  I  retired  to  bed,  and  slept,  or 
rather  dreamed,  until  morning,  I  would  occa- 
sionally start  from  my  sleep,  and  tliink  that  I 
was  still  among  the  Turks,  but  wlien  recollec- 
ting my  situation,  and  that  I  was  fuee,  would 
sink^again  into  the  arm^  of  Morpheus,  ten  thou- 
sand times  more  happy  than  if  I  had  never 
known  trouble. 

I  arose  in  the  morning,  and  paid  sixty  centt 

13* 


196 


lVIVIfBLL'0 


or  supper  and  lodging.     I  thought  such  indul- 
fgences  would  not  suit  my  pocket 

On  looking  over  ray  money,  however,  I  found 
eight  dollars  and  some  sous  left.  I  thought  I 
could  stand  thirty  miles  more,  which  would 
bring  me  in  France.  When  the  stage  came 
along,  the|driver  asked  me  if  I  wanted  to  ride  ? — 
I  told  him  I  did,  and  paid  my  passage  for  thirty 
miles.  But  to  my  astonished  view,  about  sun- 
set, rose  the  spires  of  Genoa!  I  had  been 
brought  back  to  the  very  place  I  started  from, 
and  what  most  vexed  me,  the  impudent  scoun- 
drel of  a  driver  laughed  at  my  misfortune ! 

I  stayed  in  Genoa  but  a  short  time  before  I 
again  started  for  Marseilles,  (this  time  on  foot,) 
where  I  arrived,  after  a  great  deal  ot  trouble, 
disappointment  and  vexation,  and  gave  my  pass- 
ports to  the  American  Consul,  who  after  exam- 
ining them,  procured  for  me  a  boarding  house. 

Marseilles  is  a  large  and  commercial  city,  en- 
closed by  rocky  hills.  Its  streets  are  broad  and 
straight,  its  squares  spacious  and  handsome,  and 
its  buildings  very  elegant.  I  remained  at  Mar- 
seilles several  weeks,  and  then  joined  the  Uni- 
ted States  ship  Warren,  Capt.  Lauipnce  Kerney, 
and  proceeded  to  the  Island  of  Minorca,  Port 
Mahon.  From  thence  I  was  sent  to  th.e  United 
States.  Nothing  remarkable  happened  to  me 
from  the  time  I  left  Marseilles,  until  I  arrived  at 
my  mother's  house,  in  York,  Livingston  Co.  Oc- 
tober 30, 1830.  I  had  not  seen  my  mother  since 
I  first  left  her,  twenty  three  years  and  seven 
months  ago  t  *  #  *  *  *  * 
Had  a  ghost  .appeared  to  her,  she  would  not 
have  been  worse  frightened.  But  it  was  her 
son,  her  long  lost  and  PRODIGAL  SON. 


wmm 


wm 


fffupippini^ipppii 


ul. 


TRAVEL!. 


m 


I  will  add  the  following  Lines,  composed  on 
the  U.  S.  Frigate  MACEDONIAN,  which  was 
dismasted  in  a  gale,  September,  1817.  [Vide 
page  146,  for  account  of  the  wreok.] 


In  embrjo'firat  on  Albion^s  coast  confined, 
Built  for  the  seas,  and  to  the  seas  consigred ; 
When  war^s  rude  bl?8t  it  roard  from  shore  to  shore, 
Columbia  claimed  her— Albion  shall  no  more 
0<7n  that  fine  ship,  nor  she  protect  her  powers. 
By  war*like  deeds  of  arms,  we  claimed  her  ours. 
Decatur  gained  her— so  renowned  in  fame — 
She  bears  the  ancient  MacedoniatCs  name — 
Her  lofty  masts  and  yards  in  grandeur  show 
Ready  for  sea— all  hands  prepared  to  go- 
Now  sails  from  Boston  with  most  perfect  ease,  ^. 

Impeird  with  swiftness  by  a  northern  breeze. 

*  *  *  *  *  « 

H'is  night— Cape  Cod  a  solitary  gleam. 
Strikes  on  the  view,  and  soon  it  bears  a  beam. 
Receding  fast,  we  view  the  glimmering  light— 
Our  departure  taken— soon  we're  out  of  sight. 
MajesticMy  o'er  smiling  seas  we  roam- 
Some  feel  delight— some  turn  their  thoughts  on  home- 
Think  of  mothers'— or  bosom  firiend  more  dear. 
Some  pass  the  can  their  bosoms  now  to  cheer. 
All  well  we  pass  September  tweoty>five— 
To  ply  to  eastward  all  our  efforts  strive— 
The  twenty  sixth— most  glorious  to  behold- 
Bright  Fhoibus  tingM  the  eastern  sky  with  gold— 
And  as  that  orb  his  course  began  with  pride, 
A  thousand  lustres  streakM  the  briny  tide. 
His  golden  flashes  struck  the  'stonisbed  sight 
And  filPd  the  glowing  heart  with  fond  delight. 

4t  *  *  *  *  Hft 

'Tis  soon  our  ship  a  stronger  pressure  feels. 
And  side-long  to  the  breeze  she  gently  heeli. 
The  gentle  wave4,  no  longer  left  to  sleep. 
Rise  and  break  in  white-caps  o'er  the  deep. 
Our  ship  now  plunges  through  the  swelling  maiB,— 


fi*ip),liipiMUiilf?«fWpp|p!pii|ilWf!' 


^■P 


'^'w^^mmi 


198 


USUM, 


**  Ti«  four  o'clock**— ire  pipe  lo  grog  ag^aln— 
<<  Stand  by  your  hammoclia**— each  (ar  he  fliet» 
And^  to  relate,  one  of  our  number  diet. 
A  man  of  youth  who  bore  his  shipmates'  lore, 
Was  summoned  to  attend  the  seats  aliore. 
No  more  ag^ain  to  vievr  the  mornini^  \ig\iU 
Thougl)  free*d  from  all  the  horrors  of  that  night* 
It  told  hovf  fast  our  earthly  pleasures  fleet- 
He  lost  his  life  by  mizzen  staysail  sheet. 

*  *  *  ♦  ^  )ft 

Bright  Phoebus  views  us  wretched  and  distressed. 

In  clouds  obscured,  he  sinks  tovrards  the  west, 

And  as  that  orb  does  gently  fade  away, 

The  billows  roar  and  swell  in  road  array. 

Now  darkness  spreads  her  sable  curtain  round, 

The  wind  and  waves,  they  make  a  dismal  sound. 

Our  topsail  furled,  and  all  the  sails  on  high— 

To  set  storm  stay.sails,  now  the  order  fly. 

*'  Main  staysail  slay  is  gone**— the  boisl*rou8  gale. 

Now  thund'ring  o'er  the  lee,  it  bears  the  sail. 

The  viaves,  like  mountains,  rise  still  higher  and  higher. 

She  liglitnings  flash— the  ocean  seems  on  fire, 
ur  noble  chief  and  second  in  command, 
Together  meditating,  now  they  stand. 

«  w  «  •  *  « 

Now  o'er  our  stern  the  mizzenmast  is  toss'd— 
Three  of  our  boats  together  with  it  lost. 
A  dreadful  crash,  tremendous,  now  is  bear'd— 
By  a  boist'rous  wave  our  spar  deck  is  clear'd— 
Our  captain  says-"  Be  quick— make  no  delay— 
And  cut,  my  boys,  the  top-mast  soon  away." 

"  The  foremast's  sprung" — oh  what  a  dismal  wreck, 
Our  fore  and  main  yard  thund'ring  on  the  deck. 
To  save  our  ship,  no  more  now  can  we  do, 
Ye  winds  and  waves  we  *sign  her  up  to  you. 
Beneath  the  dashing  surge,  without  relief, 

8he  labors  hard,  while  trembling  like  a  leaf. 

♦  «       '     ♦  «  ♦  *        . 

The  morning  dawn'd,  and  open'd  to  our  view 
Our  sad  distress— astonished  were  the  crew 
To  think  this  gallant  ship  one  day  before, 
Was  sailing  :n  her  pride  from  rBRBi>oii*f  shore. 


myn  iuw>fr'fm,'i"'iv'v,^jwiif!mfmiirT'^i"i  •  i   .;  '""^'^''^^i^f^itiUKfllM 


LINBf. 


10# 


But  io  one  diamal  ni^ht  a  wreck  was  mado— • 
Oh  cruel,  unfeeling  winds,  is  this  thy  trade  ? 
The  gale  abated — the  sky  serene  and  clear- 
But  still  the  mad'ning  waves  we  had  to  fear, 
Which  still  roli'd  mountain  high — in  rage  they  ran, 

As  if  their  work  of  death  had  just  began. 

»♦♦**» 

The  storm  is  o'er,  each  sailor  cheers  his  roan— 
IBmiles  at  the  gale,  and  swiga  the  flowing  can. 
We  drank  our  grog— our  hearts  were  prone  to  cheer- 
Rig'd  jury  masts,  and  for  a  port  did  steer. 
There  to  refit,  and  when  that's  done — again 
We  sail'd,—- once  more  to  tempt  the  boist'rous  main. 

D.  C.  B. 


ERRATA. 

Page  5,  for  May  20,  Read  March  20. — P.«8C,  for  brij 
Harane,  Read  Hiram. — P.  96,  instead  of  the  sun  rising 
at  quarter  past  one  P.  M.  and  sitting  ^  half  past 
eleven  A.  M.  Read  the  sun  rose  at  halfj  I  one  A.  M. 
find  set  at  quarter  past  eleven  P.  JW.— P.  k.o,  instead  of 
Bird  having  been  mortally  wounded,  Read  hadly,  ^c. — 
P.  14R,  for  Spanish  frigate  Emerald^  Read  Ismiralda. — 
P.  149,  for  George  G.  Ridgely,  Read  Charles  G. 
Bidgety.  In  several  instances,  in  the  fore  part  of 
this  work,  ''{St.  Carts''  is  misprintad  fur  St.  Bartg. 


1. 


m 


rvi 


m 


mmmm 


mmm^m. 


F^^^i'^^^'^^'mifm 


•  brij 
rising 
past 
1.  M. 
ad  of 
^c. — 
da.— 

fe«  c;. 

irt   9t' 


■'^' 


i 


